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)