Winsurfers gear up for Olympic qualifications<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National windsurfers Oka Sulaksana and Fadli
\nFaizal must be ranked among the top 20 in the world in order to
\nqualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, coach Iskandar Sitompul
\nsaid on Monday.<\/p>\n
Oka and Fadli are training for the pre-Olympic qualifying
\nrounds in Sydney on Sept. 15 to Sept. 26.<\/p>\n
Both athletes will then compete in the World Championships
\nfrom Nov. 18 to Nov. 24. The championships are divided into the
\nAsian Pacific and European zones. The European zone championships
\nwill be held in Italy while the Asian Pacific zone championships
\nwill take place in Nouma, New Caledonia.<\/p>\n
Indonesians must compete in both zone competitions, which will
\nbe contested by athletes from 40 countries, for a chance to enter
\nthe world's top 20.<\/p>\n
Iskandar, who recently attended a meeting on pre-Olympic
\npreparations at the office of the National Sports Council, said
\nthe Indonesian Windsurfing and Yachting Association (Porlasi)
\nwould begin its centralized training program on June 2 in Bali.<\/p>\n
\"Now the athletes are training in two different places. Fadli
\nis in Ujungpandang (South Sulawesi) and Oka is in Bali,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Oka -- the gold medalist at the 13th Asian Games in the IMCO
\nheavy division in Pattaya, Thailand, last December -- is the
\ncountry's best hope of finishing in the top 10 in the Olympics in
\nSydney. Oka finished 13th in his Olympic debut in Atlanta,
\nGeorgia, three years ago.<\/p>\n
Porlasi also will hold a national windsurfing championship
\nbeginning Thursday and lasting until April 4 at Ancol, North
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Separately, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Rowing and
\nCanoeing Association (PODSI), Budiman Setiawan, said Indonesia
\nwould send its canoeists and rowers to compete in the Olympic
\nqualifying rounds.<\/p>\n
\"We are preparing our Southeast Asian Games athletes,\" Budiman
\nsaid, declining to name which athletes would take part in the
\ncompetitions.<\/p>\n
Budiman also declined to name the canoeists who would compete
\nin a world competition in Milan, Italy.<\/p>\n
PODSI also will send four former Asian Games rowers to compete
\nin the World Championships at Saint Catharines, Canada at the end
\nof August.<\/p>\n
The Indonesians will face athletes from 24 countries in the
\nsingle scull event and athletes from 19 countries in the double
\nscull event. The Indonesians will then fly to Nagano, Japan, to
\ncompete in the Asian Championships in October.<\/p>\n
\"The training program will begin next month at Jatiluhur Dam
\nin Purwakarta, West Java,\" Budiman said. (ivy)<\/p>",
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