After long wait, bill governing sports made law
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."