Albert to fight for last time in KL SEAG

Albert to fight for last time in KL SEAG

JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Indonesian Amateur Boxing
Association (Pertina) Sang Nyoman Suwisma said on Thursday that
veteran boxer Albert Papilaya is still to fight in the Southeast
Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur in September, thanks to the
favorable schedule.

Light heavyweight Albert will end his career at the biennial
event as he turns 34 on Sept. 16. The Amateur International
Boxing Association (AIBA) sets 34 as the maximum age at which an
amateur boxer can participate in international multisports
events.

Albert has fought in the SEA Games since 1989 and only missed
the gold in the 1995 Games in Chiang Mai, where he took the
silver.

"Pertina has to include Albert in the team because he was the
only boxer who contributed a gold in the 1999 Games. He is still
able to fight as the boxing starts on Sept. 8.

"Given that he can join the team, we are certain that we can
add another gold for Indonesia," Suwisma told a meeting between
the National Sports Council (KONI) and officials from 29 sports
organizations.

Pertina is targeting a minimum of one gold and a maximum of
three golds from the 11 weight divisions featured in the Games.

Pertina's deputy secretary-general Didiet Soedijoto said that
the association hoped KONI would send a letter to the AIBA
informing them of the matter.

"We need Albert because he has no difficult opponents in his
weight division. He still has a good chance of winning gold."

He said that the boxers would train in Cuba before competing
in Kuala Lumpur.

Women's soccer

Separately, secretary general of the Soccer Association of
Indonesia (PSSI) Tri Goestoro said that the body would decide if
it would send a women's team to the SEA Games next week at the
latest.

"We staged a women's soccer invitation in February but the
winning team comprised players aged in their 30s and 40s. This is
our main problem.

"As yet, we are not sure if we can set up a women's team, but
there is nothing shameful about this in an international event.
The PSSI will report to KONI on the progress made next week," he
told the meeting.

The PSSI is aiming for the gold in men's soccer. It only won
bronze in the 1999 Games while Thailand took the gold after
beating Vietnam.

Tri said 12 of the 25 men's players who would compete in the
2002 World Cup prequalifying round were also available for the
Games.

"We were late start the training program on March 11. But the
training period will have to be short because all the players
have to play in the national soccer league. This is also a
problem for us. We will try to optimize the time we have
available," he said. (ivy)