Athletes awarded for success and behavior
JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council presented a total of 29 athletes from 19 sports with awards in recognition of their achievements and model behavior at a ceremony held yesterday.
Thomas Cup hero Hendrawan was included on the list of recipients of Satya Karya Bhakti Olahraga medals, as was fellow badminton player Deyana Lomban, who helped the Indonesian team reach the Uber Cup final last May.
The rising star Hendrawan, who played a major role in this year's Thomas Cup victory, added the Singapore Open title to his growing list of achievements on Sunday by toppling world number one Peter Gade Christiansen of Denmark.
Other noted medal recipients were national soccer team players Irwansyah and Alexander Pulalo, women's middle-distance runner Supriati Sutono, men's marathon runner Eduardus Nabunome, women's weightlifting world champion Winarni, female swimmer Catherine Surya, who was named best athlete in the 19th Southeast Asian Games last year, women's diver Nani Suryani and men's spiker Loudry Maspaetella.
The award ceremony was held in conjunction with the 53rd anniversary of Indonesian independence, which fell yesterday.
A member of the council's honor board, Soraya Perucha, told Antara that the selected athletes deserved recognition for their achievements, personalities and dedication to their respective sports.
Female fencers Silvia Kristina and Sri Ayanti received medals from the council's chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar on behalf of the model athletes.
Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, Wismoyo asked all athletes to take a lesson from the never-say-die attitude for which their forefathers who struggled for national independence were renowned.
"They were exemplary figures who taught us how to cope with huge pressures and refuse to give up," Wismoyo said.
He said Indonesian athletes could help heal wounds inflicted by the manifold crises if they performed commendably in the Asian Games in December.
"This year's Asian Games is of strategic importance. We are called upon to restore the country's wounded pride and image in the international forum," Wismoyo said. (amd)