Young karatekas bid for Asiad task<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia's campaign to win karate medals at the Asian Games next
\nyear would focus on its young guns, an official said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Karate-Do Federation (FORKI) athletes development
\nchief Tono Soe'oed said the policy was aimed at giving exposure
\nto young karatekas and to examine whether the regeneration
\nprogram now underway was working.<\/p>\n
\"We are quite late in preparing young fighters compared to,
\namong others, our neighbor Malaysia, whose young karate fighters
\ndid well at the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games,\" Tono said.
\nHost Malaysia dominated karate at the games, winning nine of 19
\ngolds at stake.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia has long been banking on veteran fighters in order
\nto reach our medal winning targets but forgotten to develop
\nyounger ones.\"<\/p>\n
However Tono said some veterans would be given places in the
\nnational team bound for the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, as
\nlong as they managed to maintain their top form.<\/p>\n
\"We will need the services of senior fighters especially in
\nkata events,\" he said.<\/p>\n
FORKI has announced seven fighters for the Asian Games, but
\nTono warned that the list would be trimmed depending on an
\nindividual's performance.<\/p>\n
Topping the list are Mohammad Hasan Basri of East Java and
\nJenny Zeannet of Jakarta, both will have to kick off their
\ntraining program immediately.<\/p>\n
Arif Taufan (South Sumatra), Bambang Maulidin (Aceh), Sonny
\nSimangasing (East Java), Sandra Aryani (North Sumatra) and Aswan
\nAli (East Java) have been registered as secondary options and
\nwill start their training next January.<\/p>\n
There will be 11 gold medals at stake in individual events and
\nfour in the team events at the Asian Games, which will open late
\nSeptember. The organizers have limited each participating country
\nto only five fighters.<\/p>\n
FORKI will also summon some 120 fighters from all chapters to
\njoin a one-month training camp in March before competing at the
\nnational championship vying for the Indonesian Army Chief of
\nStaff Cup in April.<\/p>\n
During the tournament, the association will scout some
\nfighters for the Indonesian Open international competition
\nscheduled for July or August.<\/p>",
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