Basketball parade to boost SEAG bid

Basketball parade to boost SEAG bid

JAKARTA (JP): A massive parade involving 7,000 people will cap
the month-long celebration of the 44th National Basketball Day on
Sunday morning.

Basketball enthusiasts will walk along a seven-kilometer main
road from the National Monument to the ABC field at Senayan.

During the procession, participants will very briefly
demonstrate their basketball skills at certain spots along the
route.

Committee chairman Sutiyoso said yesterday that the parade was
aimed at encouraging people to care more about basketball
development in the country.

"But the more important goal is to mobilize public support for
our teams for the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai," said
Sutiyoso, who is also first chairman of the Indonesian Basketball
Association.

All 20 national men's and women's players will be publicly
introduced during the parade.

"We want the people to know them and be proud of them. But,
consequently, the people have the right to ask the players to
reach the heights in the SEA Games," Sutiyoso said.

Participants will include students from 20 elementary schools,
40 junior high schools, 40 senior high schools and 10
universities. Armed Forces members will also join the two-hour
parade.

Sutiyoso said a wider and consistent campaign of basketball
was needed if Indonesia wants to form a strong team. "We have a
human resources advantage. It would be illogical if a country of
200 million people didn't have a strong basketball team," he
said.

Indonesia has never won any basketball gold medals in the SEA
Games since its affiliation into the sporting meet in 1977. It
now expects to take the men's silver and the women's bronze in
the Dec. 9 to Dec. 17 Games.

Chairman of the National Sports Council, Wismoyo Arismunandar,
and the association's president, Harmoko, are expected to start
off the parade. (amd)