Bodybuilding officials shrug off ABBF ban

Bodybuilding officials shrug off ABBF ban

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Palembang

Bodybuilding officials and coaches have challenged the Asian
Bodybuilding Federation (ABBF)'s decision to ban Indonesian
bodybuilders now competing in the National Games (PON) from
international tournaments for two years.

Considering that international participation was an unlikely
prospect for his proteges in the foreseeable future, Yoso
Hendrayanto, the West Java bodybuilding team's coach, said the
ABBF ban would have little effect.

"We don't care about the sanction imposed by the ABBF. The
important thing is that the athletes can still compete in
competitions at the national level. For our athletes, competing
at the international level is still only a dream so that the ban
won't affect them," Yoso told The Jakarta Post at the team's base
here on Wednesday.

An official from the Indonesian Bodybuilding Federation (IBF),
which is the ABBF's new Indonesian counterpart following the
expulsion of the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and
Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) from the ABBF last year for
participating in an unrecognized competition, had earlier
announced that the 40 bodybuilders participating in PON had been
banned from international tournaments for two years.

The ban was handed down after PABBSI was allowed to become
involved in the organization of the PON bodybuilding competition,
a move that enraged the ABBF.

Following PABBSI's expulsion, the ABBF has now endorsed the
newly established IBF as its Indonesian affiliate.

In a similar message of apparent defiance of the ABBF ban,
Atok Suhartanto of Yogyakarta said that the PON bodybuilding
competition was being held in accordance with the national
program to develop bodybuilding in Indonesia.

"I believe it is only fair that at the national level we
should continue with the bodybuilding competition," he said.

Yogyakarta has two bodybuilders competing in PON: Yudhistira,
who will compete in the +85kg division and Rahman Widodo in the
70kg division, while West Java has four contenders -- Ade Iman
(60kg), Edeng Sambas (70kg), Heri Hermawan (75kg) and Dodi
Lasmana (+85).

The National Sports Council (KONI)'s indecisive and unclear
policy in dealing with the issue may have helped spur the
imposition of the ban.

KONI had previously promised to bar PABBSI from taking charge
of the bodybuilding competition in response to the ABBF threat,
but then failed to fulfill its promise.

The ABBF's ban will affect Indonesia's participation in
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and Asian Games.

The PON bodybuilding competition will be staged at the Novotel
Hotel starting on Sunday. Eight gold medals will be on offer.