Preparations begin for next year's SE Asian Games<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As the 14th National Games (PON) came to an end
\non Friday, preparations for next year's 19th Southeast Asian
\nGames began.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, smarting from its humiliation in Chiang Mai,
\nThailand, last year, has vowed to regain its overall title. The
\nPON were expected to serve well as the gauge of the possibility
\nof a better performance at the 1997 regional games.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Amateur Track and Field Association is one of
\nthe first sports bodies to start working. It has selected 106
\nathletes, many of them young talent, to take part in the one-year
\nnational training program for the SEA Games.<\/p>\n
Among the recruits listed is Ruwiyati, 1995 SEA Games gold
\nmedalist in the women's marathon. She recently said she would
\nrefuse to don the national colors for the next SEA Games after
\nbeing barred from running in the PON marathon by the national
\ngames organizing committee.<\/p>\n
Veteran men's marathon runners, Eduardus Nabunome and Ethel
\nHudson are also listed. The new talent includes men's high jumper
\nNunung Jayadi, 10km walk specialist Sutrisno and Supriyati, the
\nPON sensation in the women's 5,000m.<\/p>\n
Nia Sarinastiti Regar, the association's spokeswoman, told The
\nJakarta Post yesterday that the athletic body will decide which
\nis the most effective pattern of training, a centralized or a
\ndecentralized program, on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n
\"We are considering opting for a decentralized program because
\nmany athletes perform better through this method. Some coaches,
\nhowever, have a different opinion,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The association has set a target of winning at least 10 gold
\nmedals in next year's SEA Games. In Chiang Mai, Indonesia managed
\nto win seven of 45 golds on offer, plus eight silvers and 10
\nbronzes.<\/p>\n
Other sports<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Volleyball Association has named 30 male and
\nfemale spikers for the SEA Games training program. Spikers from
\nJakarta, East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta dominate the
\nroster.<\/p>\n
An official of the association and a former national player,
\nLiem Siau Bok, told Antara that the association is eying a double
\nvictory in the sport.<\/p>\n
Indonesia earned only a bronze medal through its female
\nspikers in the 1995 SEA Games, a stark contrast to the one gold
\nand one bronze it won in the 1993 Games in Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia remain tough
\nteams to beat in volleyball,\" Liem said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association will also start a
\nnational training stint for young boxers for the Games.<\/p>\n
Executive director of the association, Imron ZS, said that the
\nboxing body is considering a breakthrough program by recruiting
\ntalent from the military to fill the shoes of bantamweight,
\nlightweight and heavyweight boxers, who have been on the decline
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
Imron said that SEA Games are not the final target of the
\ngrooming program for new talent. \"We look ahead to the 1998 Asian
\nGames in Bangkok and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In pencak silat, Indonesia's traditional gold mine in the SEA
\nGames, regeneration has given a new headache to the sport's
\ngoverning body ahead of next year's regional event. During the
\nPON, senior athletes ruled the roost in the competitions.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the association, Eddy M. Nalapraya, said that he
\nwanted to see young talent compete in the SEA Games although none
\nof the younger athletes took any medals in this year's PON.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Yachting Association recruited 55
\nPON gold medalists for the national selection rounds for the SEA
\nGames, which are to start on Oct. 1. Raymond Kotambunan,
\nsecretary-general of the association, said that only 22 athletes
\nwill finally go to the SEA Games.<\/p>\n
The association will hire a British coach for the national
\ntraining program. The coach is expected to arrive here in
\nFebruary or March next year.<\/p>\n
\"Based on our experiences, bringing in a foreign coach will be
\ncheaper and much more effective than sending athletes abroad for
\ntryouts,\" Raymond said. (yan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/preparations-begin-for-next-years-se-asian-games-1447893297",
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