KONI bans athletes from TFC involvement<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Sports Council (KONI) has warned its member sports
\nassociations against involving themselves in the TPI Fighting
\nChampionship, citing a fear of distraction from national sports
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
The TPI Fighting Championship (TFC) is a free fighting contest
\nwhere the participants come from various martial arts
\ndisciplines.<\/p>\n
The TFC is aired live on TPI television every Saturday night.
\nBased on a Japanese program, Pride Fighting Championship (PFC),
\nwhich the channel also puts out every week, the TFC appears to
\nhave attracted many TV viewers given its high ratings of between
\n5 and 6.<\/p>\n
However, the program producers will now have to deal a new
\nchallenge after KONI, which is supposed to be responsible for
\nnational sports development, issued the warning about its
\nnegative impact.<\/p>\n
\"After consultation with the sports organizations, we have
\ndecided to ban athletes from taking part in the TFC as it
\nviolates the fighting codes of each of the martial arts,\" KONI
\ndeputy chairman Arie Sudewo told reporters here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"A participant (in the TFC) is supposed to master more than
\nhis own discipline. This is going too far in that it undermines
\neach of the sports,\" Arie said.<\/p>\n
Arie said that the ban would also apply to any officials
\ninvolved in the TFC, whether as commentators or members of the
\nmedical screening team.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, TPI, which later held a press conference hosted by
\nAgus Syafrudin, the TPI director of marketing and programs,
\nargued the program would not only spur the development of mixed
\nmartial arts but also help provide athletes and former athletes
\nwith incomes.<\/p>\n
\"The TFC is not a contest between contenders from different
\ndisciplines but between contenders who have mastered more than
\none discipline,\" Agus said. \"They come to the contest not as
\nfighters from particular martial arts or sports organizations but
\nas individuals,\" he added.<\/p>\n
That mixed martial arts discipline was based on the ancient
\nOlympic sport of pancratium.<\/p>\n
Agus said that the popularity of pancratium had begun to
\nrevive recently, and it was scheduled to return to the 2004
\nOlympics as an exhibition sport.<\/p>",
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