21 sports bodies give Asiad plans

JAKARTA (JP): Twenty-one sports organizations have submitted proposals for their participation in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok next December to the National Sports Council task force.

The task force chairman, Muhammad Hindarto, said after a task force meeting yesterday that the proposals included training programs, preparatory events, medal targets and budgets.

"From 32 sports organizations only 21 have submitted proposals. The council will decide if it still wants to hear programs from the other 11 organizations," he said.

The 21 sports are archery, badminton, billiards and snooker, bowling, boxing, canoeing and rowing, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, karate, sepak takraw, soccer, softball, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, track and field, volleyball (including beach volleyball), weightlifting, wrestling and yachting.

The Asiad will feature 36 sports event;

Hindarto said the task force would have to study all the proposals to decide which sports would compete at the quadrennial event.

"But the council chairman, Wismoyo Arismunandar, will make the decision on Monday," he said.

Yesterday's meeting was attended by the council's vice chairman, Arie Sudewo, secretary-general Rudolf Warouw, planing and budget deputy Togi M. Hutagaol, athletes development deputy Muhammad Sarengat, and sports experts Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar and Arnold Lisapaly.

Hindarto said the task force had estimated that Indonesia had a good chance of winning medals in eight sports. They are badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, karate, shooting, tae kwon do, tennis and weightlifting.

But Siregar predicted that gold would only come from badminton, karate and weightlifting. Silvers and bronzes would likely to come from boxing, canoeing, cycling, rowing, shooting (double trap) and tae kwon do.

Hindarto said that although the Indonesian Shooting and Hunting Association had yet to submit its proposal, the council could appoint the best shooters, based on their chances of winning medal, to compete.

Antara reported Indonesia had a great chance to win the silver in the women's trap event at the Asiad.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman has said that he will try to get the Asiad fund of Rp 11.285 billion (US$3.2 million) from the 1998/1999 State Budget before April. (yan)