24 sports for Hanoi 2003 SEAG named
24 sports for Hanoi 2003 SEAG named
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Organizing Committee for the Vietnam 2003 Southeast Asian
(SEA) Games has confirmed an initial 24 sports for the upcoming
sporting event between the Southeast Asian nations in Vietnam, an
official of the National Sports Council (KONI) said on Tuesday.
"The Vietnam OC is certain to play the 24 sports. But it's
possible others will be added to the list before it is officially
announced next October," Indra Kartasasmita, in charge of foreign
affairs, told reporters at KONI's headquarters.
The 24 comprise: athletics, basketball, chess, fin-swimming,
soccer, gymnastics, handball, karatedo, sepak takraw,
shuttlecock, table tennis, tae kwon do, tennis, volleyball,
wushu, aquatics (including swimming), badminton, canoeing,
cycling, bodybuilding, shooting, wrestling, pencak silat and
judo.
The list was sealed in a council meeting of the SEA Games
Federation in Hanoi at the weekend, at which the Indonesian
delegation was led by KONI secretary-general Rudolf Warouw.
As far as Indonesia's medal hunt is concerned, the last nine
sports in the list appear to be in accord with its aspirations.
The Indonesian delegation had, before its departure to Hanoi,
expected as many as 14 sports it said should give it better medal
prospects at the 2003 SEA Games, based on past experience.
Five were omitted -- archery, fencing, rowing, weightlifting
and traditional boat racing.
However, M. Hindarto, who was in the dispatched team, said
that they were satisfied with the OC's decision.
"As I told you before, we will be pressing ahead with the
sports that in the past consistently produced more than 20
percent of the golds on offer," Hindarto said.
Yet, Indonesia may still be hopeful for further inclusions
especially for archery, fencing, rowing and weightlifting. The
four are in the seven sports the Vietnamese OC has not included
in the competition list but are still possibles, pending requests
from other nations.
The other three falling into this category are boxing, snooker
and petanque.
Boxing looks set to be eliminated because the sport has been
banned in Vietnam for seven years. No explanation was given. And
it will need government interference for its return.
Indonesia, as Hindarto said, should benefit from boxing's
exclusion as the sport has become a "gold mine" for rival
Thailand.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that there was an insistent
campaign for the traditional boat race -- a prolific field for
Indonesia -- the hopes pinned on it look unlikely to materialize.
The traditional boat race is one of the 17 sports the OC is
unlikely to hold, given the fact that there are no organizations
for those sports in the country. To mention but a few, they are
golf, baseball, equestrian, hockey, squash and ten-pin bowling.
The date of the 2003 SEA Games, which will be the first that
Vietnam has hosted, has yet to be fixed. It is likely to be Dec.
10 through Dec. 19, according to Indra.
The provisional 24 sports will mean that a tentative 416 gold
medals are up for grabs.
The executive committee of the SEA Games Federation will hold
another meeting in October to finalize the number of sports and
events.