1,543 athletes join centralized training programs
JAKARTA (JP): A total of 1,543 athletes are being groomed in centralized training programs for the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which will be staged here next year.
The National Sports Council's spokesman, Ishadi SK said yesterday that there will be three selection phases to pick the 700-member national squad for the biennial event.
"The phases are scheduled to take place in April, July and October. Following the selection trials we will pick 700 of the 1,543 athletes to don the national colors in the SEA Games," he said.
Ishadi said Indonesia's contingent for the Games will comprise 1,200 members, including athletes, coaches and officials.
He said so far only athletes from 10 of the 31 sports associations have joined the programs. "These include badminton, boxing, track and field and volleyball."
He hoped that the fasting month and Idul Fitri celebrations early next year and the general election in May will not disrupt the training sessions too much.
Ishadi said, quoting the council's chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar, that national athletes do not have any problems with their physical and technical skills.
"Pak Wis stressed that their mental skills need more attention. In the last Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he said, most of the Indonesian athletes lacked the necessary fighting spirit and so they gave up without putting up much of a challenge," he said.
"We should emulate what the Thai athletes did. They kept on fighting till the end. Their fighting spirit was boosted when their coaches and officials showed them a picture of their king," he added.
Regain title
Thailand dethroned Indonesia from the top spot by grabbing the overall championship title at last year's Games. This time, Indonesia, which is hosting the Games for the third time, is doing everything to regain the title.
"Each sports organization has proposed that the council increase the frequency of overseas training stints for its athletes," he said.
Ishadi said most sports bodies have hired foreign coaches and added more local coaches for the programs.
Although there might be cross-cultural problems and language barriers between the Indonesian charges and their foreign coaches, particularly those who come from East European countries, the role of the foreign trainers is crucial to help enhance the athletes' performances. He said the council will use the services of interpreters to help the coaches and athletes communicate better.
"We realize that communication is the biggest problem between foreign coaches and our athletes. Therefore we'll hire interpreters to overcome the barriers," he said.
Twenty doctors and several psychologists will cooperate to help solve athletes' personal problems that might impair their performances, he said.
The training programs are financed by the underwriting consortium chaired by President Soeharto's second son Bambang Trihatmodjo, and will cost about Rp 35 billion (US$14.8 million).
According to Ishadi, the council is urging sports organizations which have adequate funds to hire foreign coaches themselves instead of asking the council to pay for them.
The council will also ask the Gelora Senayan management board to provide free training facilities for athletes.
The council also announced the names of the officials in charge of the training programs. They are Togi M Hutagaol, who was named as chairman; Indra Djati Sidi, the chairman's deputy; Djoko Pramono, the executive director and Aribinuko Tjiptoadhidjojo, the deputy to Djoko.
"The organizational structure is much better because sports organizations, the program's chairman and the program's director will have to coordinate all programs," Ishadi said. (yan)