Oka struggles to find tougher waves<\/p>\n
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian windsurfing star Oka Sulaksana has complained about
\nthe absence of competitiveness at home while he struggles to deal
\nwith the prospect of securing greater financial support for his
\noverseas swing.<\/p>\n
Oka, from Bali, is clearly the dominant force in the Asian
\nwindsurfing scene, being the two-time Asian Games champion in
\n1998 and 2002. However, he still struggles in worldwide arena,
\ndue partly to the fact that domestic competitions do not provide
\nhim with much challenge.<\/p>\n
\"Nowadays, kids get into the (windsurfing) sport only as a
\ntime-killing trend. Very rarely are they -- some of whom I met --
\nmotivated to achieve recognition in competition,\" he said on the
\nsidelines of the Tanjung International Regatta, about 300
\nkilometers west of Jakarta, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Oka said that the sport just was not so popular among
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he said, he always ran into the same faces at
\ntournaments.<\/p>\n
\"The sport is becoming unpopular and if this trend continues,
\nI do not know how much longer I can stay competitive for
\ninternational events,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While domestic tournaments have become a training ground for
\nhim, Oka admitted that he had not obtained enough financial
\nsupport for his international tournaments, which could threaten
\nhis bid for the 2004 Athens Olympics.<\/p>\n
\"I have been striving to find a sponsor for the tournaments.
\nBut it's not easy to get one,\" he said, adding that he would turn
\nto the National Sports Council (KONI) for some help.<\/p>\n
The two-day Tanjung Lesung International Regatta on Saturday
\nand Sunday, which is one in a series of four tournaments on the
\n2003 schedule of the Indonesian Sailing Association (Porlasi),
\nfeatured 72 participants. The participants hail from Jakarta,
\nWest Java, East Java, Banten, Bali, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam with
\na few expatriates from the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain,
\nAustralia, New Zealand and Argentina.<\/p>\n
The other three tournaments will be held in Lampung, Jakarta
\nand Bali.<\/p>\n
\"The Porlasi must be more proactive in organizing more sailing
\nevents to lift the popularity of the sport,\" said Hamonang from
\nNanggroe Aceh Darussalam, who competed in the Men's Laser
\ncategory.<\/p>\n
Eight events were contested: Men's Laser, Women's Laser
\nRadial, Laser Master, Hobie Catamaran Open, IMCO Open, Race
\nBoard, Optimist Boys and Optimist Girls.<\/p>\n
That old faces dominate the competition speaks volumes, and
\nabsence of serious rival windsurfers, who are as tough as Oka,
\njust do not seem to be in the offing any time soon.<\/p>\n
Oka, as expected, won the Mistral by a lopsided margin,
\nfollowed by Dwi Cahyono of East Java and I Wayan W.<\/p>\n
Oka hailed 17-year-old Wayan's modest run to grab third place,
\nbut said his fellow Balinese compatriot still had lots of hard
\nwork and improvement ahead.<\/p>\n
\"He is 17 and has the potential to become excellent in
\nwindsurfing. However, to become my competitor ... well, maybe not
\nat the moment. But he and other surfers of his age can create
\ntheir own competition in the future, when more events are
\norganized,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/oka-struggles-to-find-tougher-waves-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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