Bill shows concern for athletes' welfare
Bill shows concern for athletes' welfare
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The sports community's long-sought goal for the government to
pay attention to outstanding athletes once their competitive days
are over is a step closer to realization.
The bill on sports, which was debated on Friday at the
National Sport Council headquarters in Senayan, Central Jakarta,
stipulates the various rewards that athletes with superior
achievement in their sport are entitled to from the central
government, regional government and other sources.
They may take the form of insurance, pension schemes and job
promotions, as well as scholarships, bonuses and honorary medals.
Besides athletes, officials of sports organizations and
supporting staff -- like referees, teachers and medical staff --
with excellent achievements would also be rewarded.
State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault,
KONI chairman Agum Gumelar and officials from several sports
organizations attended the discussion.
Details must be formulated in a presidential decree, but, once
effected, the measures would give athletes' recourse and
certainty on their entitlements.
Most athletes are dependent on one-time bonuses offered by
their respective associations, the government or corporations for
achievement at the national or international level.
However, the informal nature of the provision of bonuses as
well as the bureaucratic structure of sports organizations --
allowing for "deductions" to be made before bonuses reach the
athletes -- has led to disputes.
On Tuesday, Athens Olympic badminton men's singles gold
medalist Taufik Hidayat was involved in a public argument with
Badminton Association of Indonesia director Icuk Sugiarto over
the division of a bonus.
Former swimmer Elfira Rosa Nasution said the measures would
give athletes peace of mind to focus on their sport.
"Getting fitting rewards is what athletes need, so I am glad
to hear about the sports bill and its clause on rewards," she
said, noting there should be specific rewards for a world or
Asian champion.
Chairman of the Indonesian Drumband Association Didit S.,
which is a member of KONI, said the reward system was long
overdue, with many former athletes living in poverty.
"For me, 98 percent of the content of the bill is good, so we
need to speed up the deliberation of the bill in the House of
Representatives and endorse it."
Adhyaksa pledged to push for the swift endorsement of the
bill.
Although often providing jobs to former athletes in state
companies, the country still lags behind its neighbors in Asia in
providing welfare measures.
Malaysia announced on Tuesday it would provide a pension
scheme to medal-winning athletes based on a South Korean model.
Payments would range from US$600 to @1,000 monthly.