Agung pledges to work with sports council
Agung pledges to work with sports council
JAKARTA (JP): Newly inaugurated State Minister of Youth
Affairs and Sports Agung Laksono paid a courtesy call to National
Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar yesterday to make
pledges of cooperation between the two sports authorities.
Agung, who came to Wismoyo's office after his inauguration at
the State Palace, also promised to seek solutions to financial
problems burdening the country's preparations for December's 13th
Asian Games in Bangkok.
"I don't want to see Indonesia's sports achievements decline.
We'll make it better with good coordination and management
between the council and my office," Agung said after the meeting.
He declined to elaborate, requesting a few days to thoroughly
study current national sports developments.
"I've just been appointed and inaugurated, so please give me
two or three days to think and learn about the situation," he
said.
He said he would shrug off past conflicts involving his
predecessor Hayono Isman with the sports council.
"There should be no more conflict. We must work together for
the sake of the nation's sports development," he said.
Agung said the monetary crisis should not pose an obstacle to
the country's chances of success in the upcoming games.
"While the economic turmoil goes on, we should not lose our
fighting spirit to keep improving our achievements," said Agung,
who has relinquished his top post at the privately run ANteve
television channel.
Indonesia managed only three golds, 12 silvers and 11 bronzes
to finish 11th after Malaysia and Qatar in the last Asiad in
Hiroshima, Japan, four years ago.
Indonesia's training director for the upcoming Asiad, M.
Hindarto, told Agung that 115 athletes from 22 sports events had
been groomed since November.
The sports council expects Indonesia to net gold medals from
six sports, silvers from 10 sports and bronzes from the remaining
events.
"We'll follow the President's instruction to only send
potential medal winners based on results of their final
evaluation in August," Hindarto said.
The council is likely to send 109 athletes to the Asiad.
Agung suggested that Indonesia send only a small number of
officials to the Asian Games to save funds.
Wismoyo expressed hope that the new minister would help the
council finance the national team's trip to Thailand.
"We're taking on a heavy duty, because we haven't received as
much financial assistance as expected," he told Agung.
The government has provided Rp 3 billion (US$300,000) from the
state budget, only one-fifth of the budget set by the council for
Indonesia's participation in the Asian Games.
"Fortunately, most sports organizations are managing to cover
their respective training session expenses although we expected
them to finance half of the training budget," he added.
Wismoyo insisted that the national soccer team go to Bangkok,
although he admitted that it might not reach the semifinals.
"Soccer is a favorite sport here. We'll feel guilty if we
can't improve our performance. We'd rather give the team a second
chance to compete at the Asiad," he said.
Former minister of youth affairs and sports Hayono had lashed
out at the council's plan to send the soccer team to Bangkok,
saying that its slim chance at reaching the semifinals was not
worth its inclusion in the national squad. (emf/yan)