ASEAN bodybuilding c'ships starts in Bali
ASEAN bodybuilding c'ships starts in Bali
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jimbaran, Bali
Forty-three bodybuilders from six countries are set to compete
on Friday in the 7th South East Asian (ASEAN) Bodybuilding
Championship in Jimbaran, Bali.
With nine categories, the biennial competition will run until
Tuesday.
Indonesia will field 14 athletes. Singapore has arrived with
13 competitors while Vietnam is competing with nine. Thailand and
Myanmar have joined in with three competitors each and Malaysia
will have one.
The participant numbers were below expectations -- 100
athletes from 11 countries in the region -- according to Aditya
Karman, an official of the Indonesian Bodybuilding Federation
(IBF) in charge of regional affairs.
Datuk Paul Chua, president of the South East Asian
Bodybuilding Federation (SEABBF), said that the other five
countries opted not to come to Indonesia, for one reason or
another.
"The (countries) all have provided us with the reasons why
they can't come," Chua said in a media conference in on Thursday.
The Filipino, Cambodian and Laotian federations cited
financial difficulties. East Timor does not have a federation
yet, while Brunei's absence was not clear.
Despite the low turnout, Chua said he guaranteed it would not
undermine the competitiveness because the region's best athletes
were still around.
Chua brushed aside suggestions that SEABBF punish the absent
countries, and said that the body put more emphasis on fostering
brotherhood in the region through sports, than on punishment.
Indonesian team manager Irwan Siregar said that the
participants had an equal chance in the competition with most
being evenly matched.
He said Indonesia would face its toughest opposition from
Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.
"Our athletes are mostly young and so are other athletes from
other countries. The teams have an equal opportunity against each
other to win the championship," Irwan said.
Twenty-three-year-old Rachmat is the gold medal favorite for
Indonesia in the heavyweight category. His biggest rival is
likely to be Azman Bin Abdullah of Malaysia.