After long wait, bill governing sports made law

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The wait is over for sports fans who have decried the decline of national sports amid the absence of a law to govern the sector and push for higher standards.

An idea first mooted more than 20 years ago but trapped in legislative limbo for nearly 10 years, the bill on sports was finally passed into law here on Tuesday.

Legislator Ferdiansyah said that all 10 factions and State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault, serving as the government's representative, endorsed the bill in the House session, three days before the commemoration of National Sports Day.

The National Sports Council (KONI) brought the bill before the House in 1997, but it was held up as tweaking and second opinions were sought from various affiliated government institutions.

"The sports bill was in intensive deliberation in the period between 1999 and 2004. Today, all the factions had no objections and unanimously accepted the legislation," Ferdiansyah told The Jakarta Post.

Adhyaksa hailed the legislation as a harbinger of change for the national sports scene, according to Antara news agency.

The law, with 24 chapters and 92 articles, covers sports institutions, funding, sports management, athletes' rewards, the government's and public's share of responsibility in sports activities, as well as doping and punishment.

"Concerning punishment, the law does not elaborate in detail because the issue is already contained in the criminal code," Ferdiansyah, a member of Golkar faction, said.

However, those who fail to organize a championship in accordance with guidelines -- defined as meeting the technical requirements of the discipline, as well as health and safety standards and the regulations of the particular area in which it is held -- face a two-year prison term or a maximum fine of Rp 1 billion (US$100,000).

Article 71 on funding, the lack of which has been blamed for the drop in achievement by national athletes, states that sports funding should be carried out based on principles of justice, efficiency, transparency and accountability.

Ferdiansyah said the sports bill was first discussed in 1983 when the sports and youth ministry was set up.

"The Indonesian sports community has been awaiting the sports law. Hopefully, it can accommodate the interests of all sides to rejuvenate national sports."