Traveling athletes unperturbed by security concerns<\/p>\n
Musthofid
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The extreme athletes take a breath, steady themselves and
\nfocus on a 2.7-meter high wooden ramp before dropping in for a
\nseries of radical maneuvers.<\/p>\n
The in-line skaters, skateboarders or BMX riders power up and
\ndown the ramp, punctuating each turn with a three-sixty (360
\ndegree turn) or risk injury with back-flips and kick-flips as the
\nspectators at the Senayan eastern parking lot in Central Jakarta
\napplaud.<\/p>\n
They are seven professional extreme-sport athletes, five from
\nJapan and two from Australia, who traveled to Indonesia as
\nexhibition athletes by invitation of the organizers of Philips X-
\nRage, the Asian extreme sport championship.<\/p>\n
Instead of showing any trace of fear that has prevented
\nthousands of foreigners from traveling to Indonesia, the extreme
\nsportsmen looked enthusiastic while demonstrating their own
\nskills during last weekend's event.<\/p>\n
The championship featured athletes from eight Asian countries,
\nwith the Japanese and Australian pros being restricted to
\nexhibiting their skills rather than competing.<\/p>\n
The athletes appearance in Jakarta, especially those from
\nJapan, may deserve a thumbs-up given Japanese athletes recent
\nattitude to traveling to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Kashima Antlers, Japan Soccer League champion for 2000,
\nrefused to travel to Jakarta for its Asian Champions League match
\nagainst local champion Persija on Oct. 24. The tie, reduced to
\nonly one leg, was played in Kashima City, with the home side
\nwinning 4-1 and advancing to the second round.<\/p>\n
The following week, the Asian Sport Climbing Championship was
\ndeprived of the Japanese contenders, who opted to stay away from
\nthe competition.<\/p>\n
\"They have their own reasons for not coming here. For me, it's
\nnice to see this country,\" one of the extreme sportsmen, Gen
\nOgawa, told The Jakarta Post through an interpreter.<\/p>\n
\"People are easy-going here. I don't need to be scared about
\nsafety,\" said the 27-year-old skateboarder, adding that news from
\nIndonesia was at times blown out of proportion.<\/p>\n
Unlike Ogawa, Soichiro Nakajima was apprehensive before his
\ndeparture here, given Japan's siding with the United States in
\nthe coalition attack on Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\"But it wears away gradually as I have not had any taunting
\nsince my stay here,\" Nakajima, also a skateboarder, said.<\/p>\n
Okado Kazuo said fears of traveling to Indonesia were not a
\nspecific issue itself but rather flying anywhere in the world
\nfollowing the Sept. 11 suicide plane attacks in the United
\nStates.<\/p>\n
\"But I'm not too worried about it,\" the BMX specialist said.
\nIt was Okado's second visit to Indonesia. The first was in
\nSurabaya in August when he was invited to the final round of the
\nNational X-Rage Championship.<\/p>\n
Brad Timmins, a 22-year-old in-line skater from Australia,
\nwhile attesting to a growing sentiment in Australia against
\ntraveling to Indonesia, said it was a matter of professionalism
\nwhich had brought him to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure the Indonesian government won't let its people harm
\nforeigners. Furthermore, I trust the event organizers. They must
\nalready work on the arrangements including that of security
\naffairs,\" he said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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