Bonuses await medal winners in Olympic Games

JAKARTA (JP): Men's doubles shuttlers Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan top the list of cash bonus recipients following their gold-medal triumph in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

The official in charge of planning and budgeting at the National Sports Council (KONI), Togi Hutagaol, announced on Friday the badminton pair would share Rp 1 billion in cash provided by isotonic drink company Extra Joss.

Men's singles shuttler Hendrawan and women's weightlifter Raema Lisa Rumbewas will receive Rp 300 million each for their silver medals at the quadrennial event.

The mixed badminton doubles team of Tri Kusharjanto and Minarti Timur will pocket Rp 200 million each for their silver medals.

Two bronze medalists, women's weightlifters Sri Indriyani and Winarni, will bag Rp 150 million each. Their coach, Imron Rosadi, who owns a weightlifting training camp in Pringsewu, Lampung, will share Rp 100 million with Lisa's coach, Lukman.

Togi also said KONI would award the badminton coaches Rp 300 million. "It will be up to the Badminton Association of Indonesia to decide how much each coach will receive," he said.

There are seven badminton coaches whose players earned medals in Sydney: Agus Dwi Santoso, Christian Hadinata, Mulyo Handoyo, Herry Imam Pierngadi, Richard Leonard Mainaky, Imelda Wigoeno and Leung Chau-ha.

Apart from the cash rewards provided by Extra Joss, KONI used some of the funds raised from sponsors and the government to earmark bonuses for Olympic medalists.

KONI official in charge of media and promotion, Enny Harjanto, said the sports governing body would use the remaining funds to finance the athletes' training prior to the Olympics.

The amount of the bonuses is similar to those received by gold, silver and bronze medalists in the 1996 Atlanta Games. Men's doubles shuttlers Ricky Ahmad Subagja and Rexy Mainaky shared Rp 1 billion for winning the country's lone gold in Atlanta, while women's singles shuttler Mia Audina Tjiptawan bagged Rp 250 million for a silver medal, while Susi Susanti and the men's badminton duo of Denny Kantono and Antonius Budi earned Rp 100 million each for their bronzes.

The cash rewards will be presented during a ceremony on Saturday next week.

KONI chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar, who arrived from Sydney on Thursday, said he had asked for an increase in the cash bonuses for coaches to show appreciation for their professionalism.

"Coaches must be respected because without them there would be no achievements," he said.

He also expressed hope Indonesian athletes would fare better in future sporting events.

"We will immediately evaluate the performances of our athletes. With one gold, three silvers and two bronzes we made a breakthrough compared to our neighboring countries, which had to labor for a single bronze." (ivy)