AT&T gives Indonesian Olympic team $26,000

JAKARTA (JP): American telecommunication company AT&T granted Rp 60 million (US$26,000) in financial aid yesterday to the Indonesian Olympic team heading to Atlanta later this month.

Donald B. Westmore, manager of AT&T Asia Pacific's Indonesian office, said the company wants to participate in helping the country's team perform well in the Olympics.

"We want to show that we're not here just for business but we also want to help the country in our way," he said in Indonesian during the handing-over of the check to National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar.

Indonesia will send 39 athletes who will compete in 10 sports in Atlanta. The tiny team seems to be pinning its hopes of winning gold medals in badminton. Badminton players will make up half of the Indonesian Olympic squad.

The AT&T also provided free phone cards for Indonesian athletes and officials to enable them to contact their families while in Atlanta.

AT&T, which also gave donations to Olympic teams from Hong Kong, India, China, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan, has offered to provide 7,000 houses, which belong to its employees, to families of participating athletes during their stay at the July 19 to Aug. 4 sporting extravaganza.

"The houses are free of charge for families all over the world. First come first serve, that's how we arrange the program," Westmore said.

AT&T was the second multinational company to give financial aid to the national Olympic team. Earlier, the council received on separate occasions Rp 1.6 billion (US$680,000) and Rp 71.5 million (US$30,500) from Citibank. (yan)