Rossy secures second straight Olympic berth<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's table tennis queen Rossy Pratiwi
\nDipoyanti assured herself of a place in the Atlanta Olympic Games
\nin July after playing two matches in the Asian zone qualifying
\nround in Chiba, Japan on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Rossy finished second in Group A behind Liu Wei of China with
\na break-even 1-1 record, but it was enough to give the Southeast
\nAsian Games gold medalist her second straight Olympic berth. She
\nmade her Olympic debut in Barcelona four years ago.<\/p>\n
Outgoing training director of the Indonesian Table Tennis
\nAssociation, Noeryanto, said yesterday that Rossy qualified for
\nAtlanta as Southeast Asia's representative.<\/p>\n
\"It is one of positive policies from the world table tennis
\nbody ITTF to boost the sport worldwide,\" Noeryanto said.<\/p>\n
There are eight women's singles from Southeast Asian
\ncountries, including three Indonesians, playing in the qualifying
\nzone now underway, with Rossy the only one to reach the group of
\n16.<\/p>\n
Only seven women's and seven men's players will make it to the
\nAtlanta Olympics.<\/p>\n
North Korea, making a return to the Olympics after a long
\nseclusion, secured on Tuesday two places in the men's event.
\nTaiwan took two in the women's event, and Hong Kong grabbed one
\nin the men's event.<\/p>\n
Indonesia opened up a chance to win a berth from the men's
\nevent as Southeast Asian representative after Anton Suseno
\ncruised to the playoff for 9-16 places. He will be vying for the
\ncoveted berth against Vu Manh Cuong of Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Noeryanto said that Indonesia has set its sight on winning two
\nOlympic berths, \"although it will be very difficult for us to
\nkeep up with our rivals in the Olympics.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia earned three Olympic berths through Rossy, her
\nfellow women's singles Lingling Agustin and Anton in 1992.<\/p>\n
\"We dared not set a target of taking more than two berths, due
\nto the presence of North Korea,\" Noeryanto said.<\/p>\n
It was North Korea's first appearance in international table
\ntennis competition since the 1993 world championships. The
\ncountry had shunned international sporting events since mid-1993
\nand became the last of 197 national Olympic committees to line up
\nfor the Atlanta Games.<\/p>\n
Noeryanto said that his Atlanta-bound players will undergo a
\ncentralized training session here, but the detailed program will
\nbe up to newly elected chairperson of the table tennis body Siti
\nHedianti Prabowo.<\/p>\n
Hedianti, President Soeharto's daughter, was named the new
\nleader last month in place of Ali Said and is expected to
\nannounce her cabinet later this month.<\/p>\n
Noeryanto said that a foreign coach looks necessary in
\nIndonesia's bid in Atlanta. \"I have put it forward to the
\nchairperson,\" he said. (amd)<\/p>",
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