KONI says no favoritism in Olympics training<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) will not
\ndiscriminate against any of the 11 sports which are being
\nprepared for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney in September.<\/p>\n
Olympic training director Arie Sudewo said on Wednesday that
\nhe would not give special treatment for badminton in terms of
\nfunding, although it was a priority in the training program. The
\nsport has contributed golds to the country since the sport was
\nfeatured in 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
Arie said that equal treatment was given to the other sports
\nbecause the current training also aimed to prepare the athletes
\nfor the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
\"We should be realistic. We will treat all sports equally. But
\nbadminton received more attention because it has bigger chances
\nto earn gold in the Olympics training,\"<\/p>\n
\"Besides, the Olympics training is part of the training
\nprogram for the 2001 SEA Games. Perhaps the other 10 sports will
\nnot yield medals in the Olympics, but their athletes could win in
\nthe SEA Games. The athletes have been our assets,\" he said.<\/p>\n
KONI invited Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) to a
\nmeeting on Monday when it offered to cooperate in the badminton
\ntraining preparation in order to boost the shuttlers' motivation.
\nKONI will advise PBSI on the scientific constituent in the
\ntraining.<\/p>\n
PBSI said that it needed about Rp 12 billion (US$1.62 million)
\nto finance the training preparation from May 1999 to September
\nthis year. The amount includes financing the shuttlers in pre-
\nqualifying rounds.<\/p>\n
Arie said that KONI would disburse the Rp 6.9 billion of
\ntraining fees proportionally to fulfill the needs of all sports.
\nThe budget allocation would be discussed with the sports
\norganization, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The money is given in accordance to the athletes' needs. For
\nexample, we are considering to grant a request from the
\nIndonesian Yachting and Windsurfing Association (Porlasi) to hire
\na foreign coach.<\/p>\n
\"But we won't approve such a request from PBSI, because it
\nshould be able to export local coaches to train overseas,\" Arie,
\nwho is also KONI deputy chairman, said.<\/p>\n
He said that KONI had yet to receive Rp 4.9 billion from the
\ngovernment to finance the training.<\/p>\n
\"We have amassed Rp 2 billion from the Gelora Senayan
\nmanagement board and another Rp 500 million to start the
\ntraining. This amount will last to the end of March. We hope that
\nthe government will disburse the money before that time,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
KONI is grooming 71 athletes from archery, badminton, boxing,
\ndiving, judo, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, track and field,
\nweightlifting and windsurfing.<\/p>\n
Twelve of them -- female judokas Prapti Ningsih and Aprilia
\nMarzuki, male judoka Kresna Bayu, female tennis player Yayuk
\nBasuki and Wynne Prakusya and boxers La Paene Masara, Dedek
\nChandra, Suwardoyo, Marwan Muling, Steve Binalay, Bara Gommies
\nand Willem Papilaya -- are still competing for Olympic berths in
\nthe pre-qualifying round, along with 19 men and 14 women
\nshuttlers invited to join the training.<\/p>\n
In 1992, Indonesia earned two golds, two silvers and a bronze
\nto finish a respectable 18th in the medals' standing. In the 1996
\nOlympics in Atlanta, Georgia, national shuttlers won only one
\ngold, one silver and two bronzes to finish 41st in the medals
\ntable.(ivy)<\/p>",
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