Billiard players complain about lack of equipment
Billiard players complain about lack of equipment
JAKARTA (JP): No equipment, no achievement. That's one of the
retorts the Indonesian billiard and snooker association has about
why its athletes have no say in international competitions.
In a meeting with the National Sports Council yesterday,
training director of the association, Ashar Nasution, said his
athletes had long trained with rented tables.
"Our players cannot use the tables as freely as they want. It
easily distracts their concentration since they sometimes have to
stop their practice when the time runs out," Nasution said.
"We only have seven hours a day and it's very annoying when we
have to stop hitting the ball once we've really gotten into the
mood," he said.
Nasution said that such interruptions cost his players their
desire to train harder.
Nasution said the association has met the need of nine-feet
billiard tables for 16 players. Four 12-feet snooker tables are
also among the association's inventory.
"But they are not enough. We don't have any 10-foot tables at
all," Nasution said. National players have long rented a 10-foot
table from PT Tambang Timah, a state-owned mining company.
A new 10-foot table costs Rp 3 million (US$1,300), but a
second-hand one would be much cheaper. Nasution said that the
association wanted to buy the table it rents from the company,
but needs recommendation from the council.
"We expect to buy at least four," Nasution said.
Andre Ben, another executive of the association, said that the
training program for the 19th Southeast Asian Games here next
year could have started if the association had the equipment.
More events
Both Nasution and Andre suggested that host Indonesia add the
number of events to eight in the 1997 Games. "We would like to
reinstate cadre 47/1, ban, three ban and libre in addition to
snooker, English billiards, rotation, and nine ball," Nasution
said.
The additional events were contested in the 1987 Games here.
Nasution said that Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines
supported the plan.
Andre said that the association expected to win at least four
gold medals from the four events. Indonesia managed only one
silver medal and one bronze in the last SEA Games in Chiang Mai,
Thailand.
Veterans Ananta Sigit Sidharta, Kempeng Pondiar, James
Lengkang and Jimmy Arianto look certain to form the backbone of
the national team next year.
Also yesterday the Indonesian Bowling Association met with the
council to deliver its plan outline for the 19th Games.
Chairman of the association, Oke F. Supit, said that nine
young bowlers are being groomed for the biennial event. "They,
the ages of whom are an average of 23 years, are set to fill the
shoes of our aging athletes," Oka said.
The young guns, composed of five male and four female bowlers,
will take part in the President Cup here in April, Indocement Cup
here in May and the Youth Asian Zone in Seoul, South Korea in
June. (05)