45 RI karateka sent to Japan and Australia

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Karate-do Federation plans to send 45 athletes for overseas stints in Japan and Australia in July and August as a preparation for the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games here in October.

A federation official, Boy Crain, said yesterday 17 women and 28 men had been selected from the national training center.

"In July, the female karateka will compete at the World Championship in Japan while the men will only have tryout," he said.

"We'll go to Australia in August for a series of training stints. We picked Australia because it has many world class karateka," he said.

The federation's chairman, Wiranto, who was elected in April, and the National Sports Council's chairman, Wismoyo Arismunandar, observed karate training at the Senayan Main Stadium yesterday.

Indonesia aims to make a clean sweep in the 19 disciplines - male and female individual kata (forms) and team kata, five female individual and eight male individual classes in kumite (fighting), male and female team kumite - at the biennial Games.

"We expect to win golds in all classes," said Wiranto, who was appointed Army chief yesterday.

"Some of the athletes competed at the previous Games. They also fought at the Asian Games or World Championships and could win. We expect them to win at the SEA Games."

Boy said Indonesia's main rivals would be from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

"However, we also have to be aware of Vietnam and Thailand, especially the latter. Although karate was not featured in the last Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand will send its strongest team at the Games," he said.

At the 1993 Games in Singapore, Indonesia won seven golds.

Head coach Tono Soe'oed said Indonesia's karateka would focus on kata during their stint in Japan.

"We always lose to Japan in kata not because the power or the technical skills but because we can't comprehend the philosophy of kata. The stint in Japan will also be used as a preparation for the 1998 Asian Games," he said.

Wiranto said the federation was combining the leadership of Rustam Umbas, the federation's training center deputy, and Tono, to reach its goals.

"Rustam will be responsible for all training centers for international events, not only for this year's SEA Games. While Tono has arranged a very good program and selected the best national karateka. I just want to combine their strengths to motivate the athletes to do their best at the Games," he said. (yan)