RI aims to win dragon boat c'ships<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has set its sights on winning the
\nSecond World Dragon Boat Championship on the Shing Mun River in
\nHong Kong from June 4 to June 6.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Rowing Association chairman, Basoeki, said
\nyesterday that Indonesia's men's team was optimistic it could win
\nthe 250 meter and 1,000 meter races.<\/p>\n
\"But it maybe hard to win the men's 500 meter event,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"For the women's team, I don't expect too much because the
\ntoughest will be China,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's male rowers won two silvers and one bronze at the
\nfirst championship in Yue Yang, China, two years ago, coming
\nsecond to China.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will send 64 male and female athletes to the
\nchampionship, which will be aired by SCTV on June 21 at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
The world championship is the most prestigious dragon boat
\nevent.<\/p>\n
The championship will be staged before the annual Hong Kong
\nDragon Boat Festival International Races, which will be on June 6
\nand June 7.<\/p>\n
Indonesia won the Victoria Cup after winning the Melbourne
\nInternational Dragon Boat Race while the women's and the mixed
\nteams won silvers earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Basoeki said the team would compete at the Merlion Cup in
\nSingapore on May 31 and June 1 before flying to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
\"If we win the world championship, we must be able to sweep
\nthe golds at the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia made a clean sweep at the last Games in Chiang Mai,
\nThailand, when it won all seven golds.<\/p>\n
This year, rowing offers 31 golds consisting of 12 golds from
\ncanoeing, 11 golds from rowing and eight golds from traditional
\nboat race or dragon race.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is aiming to win 24 of the 31 golds up for grabs but
\nMyanmar is expected to be tough competition.<\/p>\n
\"The team for the world championship is not the main team for
\nthe SEA Games because some of them are kayak athletes,\" he said.
\n\"There will be a series of selections to pick the right men for
\nthe boat.\"<\/p>\n
Another 25-man team will go to Penang, Malaysia for the
\nInternational Dragon Boat Races from May 31 to June 1.<\/p>\n
PT HM Sampoerna's brand manager, Jeffrey Chandra, said his
\ncompany had started sponsoring the Indonesian team at
\ninternational events.<\/p>\n
\"Since this is the first sponsorship, we'll have to look at
\nthe results and discuss future cooperation, especially in terms
\nof sponsoring the women's team. We are also committed to helping
\nthe association buy equipment,\" he said. (yan)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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