Tennis gives physically disabled a new lease on life<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Fit and active throughout his life, Agus Sugiharto was left a
\nparaplegic in a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n
A soldier in the elite Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), Agus,
\nthen 20, suffered a spinal injury in a parachuting accident in
\nCimahi, West Java, in 1993.<\/p>\n
Although he admits he felt \"down\" after losing his mobility,
\nhe found a new outlet for physical activity, enjoyment and
\ncompetition after watching an exhibition of wheelchair tennis
\nfour years later.<\/p>\n
Today, he is the highest ranked Indonesian player in the
\nwheelchair tennis rankings of the International Tennis Federation
\n(ITF); his current ranking is 315, but it has been as high as
\n122.<\/p>\n
A quarterfinalist at last year's Malaysian Open, he won the
\n2003 Singapore Open and Malaysian Open second draw events. He
\nalso represented Indonesia at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens.<\/p>\n
\"I never expected I would compete in the Paralympics when I
\nstarted to play wheelchair tennis in 1997,\" the father of one
\nsaid recently.<\/p>\n
\"At the beginning, I just thought I would play for fun and to
\nbe healthy, but then I won several tournaments.\"<\/p>\n
He plays four times a week at his workplace of the defense
\nministry's disability rehabilitation center on Jl. RC Veteran
\n178, Bintaro, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It's not easy for the physically disabled to find
\nopportunities for sports and exercise in this country, but Agus
\nsays the prospects are getting better in wheelchair tennis.<\/p>\n
Although wheelchair tennis made its debut when a couple of ITF
\ncoaches held a clinic in 1994, the Indonesian Tennis Association
\n(Pelti) recently stepped up promotion of the sport.<\/p>\n
Association secretary-general Ferry Raturandang said a coach,
\nSatria E. Negara, had been appointed to develop wheelchair tennis
\nacross the country.<\/p>\n
\"We started our program three months ago by visiting two
\nphysical rehabilitation centers in Jakarta,\" Ferry said.<\/p>\n
Last month, Pelti also organized a national championship in
\nKemayoran, Central Jakarta. A total of 36 men's players and 16
\nwomen took part; Agus and partner Suyatno were the runners-up in
\nthe men's doubles.<\/p>\n
Ferry said there were already players in major cities in Java,
\nsuch as Jakarta, Bogor, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Malang, as well
\nas Medan, Makassar and Manado. He also believes that Aceh, where
\nmany people suffered debilitating injuries in the Dec. 26
\ntsunami, will be another place where the sport can be developed.<\/p>\n
There are difficulties, particularly in providing the special,
\nlighter model wheelchairs, which can cost up to US$3,000 each.<\/p>\n
Last year, Pelti distributed 10 wheelchairs to players in
\nseveral cities. The association plans to seek sponsorship from
\ninternational organizations to fund future purchases.<\/p>\n
Another problem is the lack of certified coaches and access to
\ncourts.<\/p>\n
For Agus, a major issue is finding the funding to play on the
\nNEC Tour, started in 1992 and now consisting of 118 events in 32
\ncountries. His ranking has slipped because he has not played
\noverseas events.<\/p>\n
Indonesia lags behind other Asian countries, especially Japan,
\nwhere wheelchair tennis was first played in the early 1980s, only
\na few years after its debut in the United States, but also
\nThailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n
\"Travel expenses are a big obstacle for me,\" he said. \"The
\nonly way for me to improve and get a better ranking is by playing
\nabroad, but I haven't been able to do so all year.\"<\/p>\n
Ferry stated Pelti's commitment to developing wheelchair
\ntennis.<\/p>\n
\"Tennis for the players is not only about competition but also
\na social activity. It is a good atmosphere for them.\"<\/p>\n
For more information on wheelchair tennis internationally,
\nvisit www.itfwheelchairtennis.com; for information on local
\ndevelopment, contact Ferry Raturandang at tel. 08561900943 or
\nAgus Sugiharto at tel. 08158110073.<\/p>",
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