PON a success in record achievements<\/p>\n
By Ivy Susanti<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): The National Games (PON) were held in Jakarta
\nfor the first 33 years of their existence, before this year's
\njust-concluded edition of the event was moved outside of the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
East Java took over from Jakarta in hosting the quadrennial
\nevent, the first PON of the 21st century and by most accounts a
\nrousing success.<\/p>\n
Entering the Games with the ambition of capturing the overall
\ntitle for the first time, East Java also set a goal of
\nstrengthening national unity despite the political situation in
\nthe country, colored by disasters, prolonged riots and calls for
\nsecession.<\/p>\n
East Java managed to fulfill its ambition of topping the medal
\ntally by bagging 132 golds, 107 silvers and 115 bronzes. Compare
\nthis to the PON 1969 where the province claimed the runner-up
\nposition with only 65 golds, 59 silvers and 52 bronzes, while
\nJakarta stood atop table with 101 golds, 69 silvers and 40
\nbronzes.<\/p>\n
Despite its achievement, East Java also was able to encourage
\nthe Irian Jayan contingent to put sports ahead of politics. The
\nIrianese athletes were in the spotlight due to recent calls for
\nthe province to separate from the country and change its name to
\nPapua.<\/p>\n
The Irianese athletes were allowed to call themselves Papuans
\nand hoist their Bintang Kejora flag, but still the focus remained
\non sports.<\/p>\n
Sprinter Yanes Raubaba, one of the Irian contingent, won gold
\nwith a national record of 10.13 seconds in the men's 100m dash.<\/p>\n
Five years of training in Jakarta has not affected his loyalty
\nto his homeland. \"I love Papua. I won't move to Jakarta and
\ncompete for it. My spirit raised when I heard people call us
\n'Papuan,'\" he said.<\/p>\n
For his achievement, he was congratulated by President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid during the closing ceremony on Friday, along
\nwith men's powerlifter Sutrisno of Lampung.<\/p>\n
At least 35 PON records in weightlifting, powerlifting, track
\nand field, cycling and swimming were broken this year. Some 30
\nnew national records were also set here. A number of women's and
\nmen's weightlifters and powerlifters, including Sutrisno, were
\nable to surpass Asian Games records and world records.<\/p>\n
Critics<\/p>\n
Despite the success, there was some criticism, some of which
\nwas aimed at East Java Governor Imam Utomo Suparno. The governor
\nchaired the organizing committee and appointed a number of his
\nofficials and trustees to help him organize the event, which cost
\nsome Rp 65 billion (US$7.6 million) to host, with the money
\ncoming from provincial revenues.<\/p>\n
There was also a fears the state officials would lack
\nprofessionalism in organizing the event, and also a deep-rooted
\nsuspicion they would misuse the budget. While the first fear
\nremains debatable, any grounds for the second will become clear
\nafter the governor delivers his accountability report.<\/p>\n
The referees at the Games also were criticized for biased
\njudgments and for awarding shared gold medals to competitors
\nafter violent protests from the respective contingents.<\/p>\n
In some martial arts events like tae kwon do, wushu and pencak
\nsilat, there were two gold medalists although the Indonesian Tae
\nkwon do Association and the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association
\nestablished strict rules to avoid subjectivity in refereeing the
\nbouts. In wushu, however, vague rules led to some confusion
\nduring this first-ever staging of the sport at PON.<\/p>\n
The legal commission of the National Sports Council (KONI) is
\nlooking into these irregularities.<\/p>\n
Complaints<\/p>\n
A number of the sports venues also were on the receiving end
\nof complaints. The electronic score board at the swimming venue,
\nfor example, did not immediately display the swimmers' times
\nafter they finished the race.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the announcers repeatedly made errors when
\nannouncing the names of the swimmers and the provinces they were
\nrepresenting, and some journalists complained about the
\nless-than-friendly officials.<\/p>\n
\"I think the officials here are quite good. But the electronic
\ntimer takes so much time before it shows our times,\" said women's
\nswimmer Meitri Widya Pangestika of Central Java.<\/p>\n
At the nearby archery range, referees were upset because they
\nwere only paid for 10 days.<\/p>\n
\"We have been in Surabaya since June 15 but they only started
\nto pay us on June 20,\" said a referee who asked for anonymity.<\/p>\n
Even the liaison officials, who were volunteering their time,
\ncame under fire for not knowing the directions to cities outside
\nof Surabaya, such as Malang or Gresik.<\/p>\n
\"I think it is understandable. Most of them are fresh high
\nschool graduates and this is their first experience,\" said KONI
\nspokesman Ahmed Solihin.<\/p>\n
Some contingents also bemoaned the fact that the sports venues
\nwere not centralized, being located in seven cities in East Java:
\nSurabaya, Sidoarjo, Malang, Jember, Gresik, Situbondo and Kediri.<\/p>\n
\"We find it difficult to supporting our teammates at the other
\nsports events because the venues are scattered around a long
\ndistance,\" said John Bawole, a bridge competitor from South
\nSulawesi.<\/p>\n
Some of the athletes from outside East Java also criticized
\nthe behavior of local supporters.<\/p>\n
\"In the finals of the team saber, a local supporter pointed a
\nknife at the referee. Finally, East Java was declared the gold
\nmedalist in the event,\" said Iwan Kartiwan, a fencing athlete
\nfrom West Java, which took silver in the event.<\/p>",
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