Moch. N. Kurniawan
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia's sporting world has a generous partner in South Korea,
\nwith the recent completion of the Cibubur sports center in East
\nJakarta, a testament to the good relations between the two
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Last month, the Korean International Cooperation Agency
\n(KOICA) officially handed over the 2,100-seat center, officially
\nnamed the Sports Center for Korea Indonesia Friendship, to the
\nIndonesian government.<\/p>\n
The center was opened on March 13; one day before the start of
\nthe Fifth LG National Taekwondo championship.<\/p>\n
The fully air-conditioned building, built on a 2.5-hectare
\nplot of land owned by the government, can host four events --
\ntaekwondo, badminton, basketball and volleyball.<\/p>\n
Oh Il Nam, a South Korean who has been living here since 1989
\ncoaching the Indonesia national team, said the center would focus
\non developing taekwondo athletes in the country.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, which had competed in the martial art for more than
\ntwo decades, previously had never had such a facility, Oh said.<\/p>\n
\"In 2000, I had an idea to build a taekwondo center, so I went
\nto KOICA and the sport directorate in the Minister of Education
\nat that time for support,\" Oh said.<\/p>\n
The institutions first approved the proposal in 2003 and the
\nproject started in April last year with funding from KOICA. After
\ncompletion, the center was handed over to the government through
\nthe Office of the State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.<\/p>\n
Oh said government was likely to hand over the management of
\nthe center to the Indonesian Taekwondo Association, which would
\ncooperate with business to manage the center, he said.<\/p>\n
Sports directorate head Thoho Cholik Motohir said it was a
\ngood idea that professionals be brought in to manage the center.<\/p>\n
\"The government does not really have money to maintain the
\nsports center,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Thoho said the government was still studying options about how
\nthe center would be managed.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Indonesian taekwando head Ade Lukman said the
\nassociation planned to establish an academy for the sport in the
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
The academy would train all ages and all levels so that
\ntaekwondo would grow as a sport in the country, he said.<\/p>\n
Oh said one idea for the new academy was to go on a nationwide
\ntalent search for new athletes.<\/p>\n
\"We are planning to look for 50 boys and 50 girls across the
\ncountry to be trained at the new sports center,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/moch-n-kurniawan-1447893297",
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