Athletes' hopes for medals still high despite fund crisis
BANDUNG (JP): Indonesia has been in recession for two years but it has failed dampen athletes' ambitions. Athletes being groomed for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei in August expressed confidence that they would win golds despite the country's financial turmoil, which stopped them from warming up in overseas tournaments.
Women's long-distance runner Supriati Sutono said on Saturday at Pengalengan tea plantation that she aimed to retain the supremacy she enjoyed in the 1997 Games in Jakarta, in which she won three golds and sharpened the records in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m events.
Supriati, a 26-year-old Army sergeant first class, said she would not underestimate her rivals despite her victory in the women's 5,000m gold in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. She came only fifth in the 10,000m.
"Long-distance running needs good physical stamina, endurance and speed. I must be wary of my rivals, especially Myanmar which has potential medal winners. The SEA Games are no longer as easy as they used to be," she said.
Antonius Fallo, Indonesia's young hopeful who competes in the men's 5,000m and 10,000m, said his target was only to win medals.
"Any medal will be fine," said, Antonius, who earned a bronze in the 10,000m in the 19th SEA Games.
The Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI) is grooming its middle and long-distance runners at the plantation, which is 1,500m above sea level.
Head coach Herry Setiyono complained that his athletes could not warm up in overseas tournaments due to lack of funds.
PASI plans to select 12 of 18 middle and long-distance runners to team up for the Games.
The Indonesian Rowing Association (PODSI) -- which prepared its athletes at Jatiluhur Dam in Purwakarta, West Java -- also faced the same problem in sending its athletes abroad.
PODSI will most likely fail to send its 57 athletes -- 30 male and 27 female -- to the Chinese Taipei Traditional Boat Race Championships this week.
However, coach Asrul Sani expressed optimism that his athletes would still win medals in the men's and women's 400m and 800m events even without warming up in a tournament.
"We have to send our athletes to the championships to develop their competitive spirit," he said, adding that each team would consist of 20 rowers, male or female.
Unlike those two sports bodies, the Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) plans to send nine mountain bikers, including 1997 SEA Games gold medalists Rissa Suseanty and Fery Sonic, to a championship in Australia in the second week of July.
"They will have tough opponents who don't only come from Asia. If they only practice here, they won't develop a competitive spirit," coach Chandra Ariavijaya said at the cross-country and downhill training center.
The National Sports Council (KONI) has received a Rp 4.5 billion donation from the Gelora Senayan Management Board and Rp 5.5 from the National Development and Planning Board (Bappenas), but apparently it is not enough to finance all sports programs to stage domestic or overseas tryouts.
KONI only distributes Rp 1.5 million (US$198) per athlete for tryouts, which only occurs once during centralized training. (ivy)