Tight selection for RI squads for Asiad<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Only athletes from five or six sports deserve to
\ngo to the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in December, Minister of
\nSports and Youth Affairs Agung Laksono said yesterday.<\/p>\n
On a visit to the national badminton training center in
\nCipayung, East Jakarta, Agung said the lack of international
\nachievements coupled with lack of funds should prod several
\nsports organizations to reconsider their efforts to send their
\nathletes.<\/p>\n
\"The contingent is not necessarily big in quantity, but the
\nimportant things are quality and chances to win medals.\"<\/p>\n
He said the deserving athletes were from badminton, karate,
\nweightlifting, tennis and boxing. Other sports, he said, only
\nheld slim chances of bagging medals in the quadrennial sporting
\nevent.<\/p>\n
The National Sports Council announced early this year that the
\ncountry's athletes would compete in 21 sports in the hope of
\nwinning six or seven gold medals.<\/p>\n
Indonesia only excelled in badminton at the previous Asian
\nGames in Hiroshima, Japan, four years ago, winning all of its
\nthree gold medals in the event.<\/p>\n
In the upcoming Asiad, Indonesia will likely rely on badminton
\nplayers in its medal hunt. In May, they won a record 11th Thomas
\nCup men's title and reached the Uber Cup women's team
\nchampionship final before losing to China.<\/p>\n
The badminton association's deputy in charge of athlete
\ndevelopment, Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, told Agung that the
\nassociation had drawn up a master training plan for the Sydney
\n2000 Olympics.<\/p>\n
Siregar said he expected that between 20 and 24 players would
\nqualify for the Games. The race for Olympic qualifying will start
\nin April next year and finish 12 months later.<\/p>\n
Siregar added that the association would shortlist between 42
\nand 48 shuttlers from the 63 players currently at the training
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
\"If everything goes as expected, we will give the Olympics-
\nbound players the privilege to take part in international
\ntournaments,\" Siregar said. (emf)<\/p>",
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