Asiad fund may come from State Budget before April
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said yesterday that he would try to get the Asian Games funding from the 1998/1999 State Budget before the fiscal year begins in April.
Speaking after a hearing with House Commission VII for youth affairs and sports, Hayono said that the National Sports Council needed the money to groom national athletes for next December's quadrennial event in Bangkok.
"Although the council has yet to decide in which sports Indonesia will compete, we have estimated that we need about Rp 11.285 billion (US$3.2 million) to finance our athletes. But the figure could change depending on how many athletes we send," he said.
The council has shortlisted 16 potential sport for the Asiad, which is to feature 36 sports. The 16 are archery, badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, judo, karate, rowing, surfing, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, track and field and weight lifting.
But the council's task force has added soccer, wrestling and shooting to the list.
The house commission also agreed that the government should finance the Asian Games preparation and contingent and include it in the State Budget.
Hayono said: "Once the council submits its budget plan, I may have to drop some 'rich' sports organizations, including swimming and track and field, from the list."
Hayono considered The Indonesian Swimming Association and the Indonesian Athletics Association as sports organizations which were supported by big companies.
The Tirtamas Group backs the swimmers and companies owned by timber tycoon Bob Hasan are heavily involved in track and field.
SEA Games
Hayono also urged the 19th SEA Games consortium to submit its audited report soon.
"I know that the consortium has a general report but I want to have an audited report. The consortium is still finishing it with assistance from the public accountant," he said.
The consortium has promised to hand over the report by the end of this year.
The consortium's treasurer, Arief Widodo Tjandrawinata, said that the consortium and the accountant have been making the report since the end of October.
"We're going to report the results to the council's chairman and the minister, then publish them in the media," he said yesterday.
The deputy chairman of the commission, Oelfah Harmanto from the Golkar faction, said that the consortium was expected to submit its report before its next hearing early next year.
Arief, known as Okky, said the consortium still had to pay for about Rp 15 billion of the organizers' expenditure, including the referee's allowances and athletes accommodation.
"But the consortium has only collected Rp 5 billion and still has to cover the remaining Rp 10 billion," he said.
Hayono said the consortium was still raising funds from sticker sales, which will end on Dec. 31.
"If by Dec. 31, the consortium has not collected the Rp 15 billion, it's their own problem," he said.
Soccer
Speaking about soccer, Hayono still expected the Indonesian Soccer Association to be realistic about its likely success in the Asiad.
"If the association still says that our national team will reach the semifinals, I think it's deceiving the public," he said.
Hayono said Indonesia has to consider Thailand, former Soviet Union countries, Middle East and Far East countries as tough rivals in soccer.
"If our team fails in the Asiad, I believe the public will be very disappointed. We must try not to let the public express its disappointment during soccer matches in stadiums because they can be very brutal," he said.
"The association must be honest about its chances. If it says our team can reach the quarterfinals, I think it's more realistic," he added.
Hayono said that because soccer was one of the nation's favorite sports, the council would probably send a team in the Asiad.
"If our team doesn't compete in at the Asiad, the Asian Football Confederation will punish it because it will be the third time we have been absent from the event," he said. (yan)