Beach spikers ready to pounce

JAKARTA (JP): National Olympic duo Ni Putu Timy Yudani Rahayu and Engel Berta Kaize are aiming to improve their world ranking at the finals of the 11th Women's Beach Volleyball World Championship due to start tomorrow at the Senayan tennis complex.

"Our main goal is to improve our world ranking, which we achieved at the last Olympics, and we've been preparing for it for thirty days," said Eta, nicknamed Berta, yesterday.

The Indonesian Volleyball Association's executive director, Rita Subowo, said the organization realizes the chances of Indonesians winning the championship, which is sponsored by tile company Keramik Diamond, are slim but it expects Timy and Eta, world ranked 16th, to improve their rating.

"Six other local teams, which are being groomed for the next SEA Games and Asian Games, will be able to participate to test their skills and experience other countries' strength," Rita said.

"Each team is to get 10 points for qualifying to the main draw," she added.

The International Olympic Committee which held its annual meeting in Mexico earlier this month has decided that beach volleyball will be contested as medal event in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

"It's very important for them to improve their ranking because the International Volleyball Federation counts the points since the end of the last Olympics," Rita said.

Rita, who is also the organizers' chairwoman, said that three of the local teams will replace the United States teams, which withdrew from the championship due to injuries in a tournament in Brazil two weeks ago.

Olympic gold medalists Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires of Brazil and bronze medalists Kerrie Pottharst and Natalie Cook of Australia are due to participate in the championship.

"Since Atlanta, we've been very busy in Australia, promoting the sport. We haven't been practicing very much but we're aiming at the final," Pottharst said of her chances at the championship.

Thirty two teams from 13 countries are taking part in the US$140,000 tournament, which runs through Sunday.

The organizers have set up two artificial courts on the clay tennis courts at Senayan. The white sand is from Bangka island off Sumatra and the quality is claimed to be "better than the Olympic sand."

Rita said that all players have to wear a vest to cover their bikinis, which could cause offense here.

The privately owned TPI TV channel is to air the matches live on Saturday at 3.00 p.m. and on Sunday at 1.00 p.m. (yan)