1,543 athletes join centralized training programs

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)