Bonuses, permanent jobs promised to athletes

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post/Palembang

For some athletes at the 16th National Games, which concluded on Tuesday, winning a gold medal gave them not only honor and pride but hopes for a better life.

Not only were athletes promised cash bonuses, but also the chance of permanent employment in a bid to motivate the teams to win as many gold medals as possible.

A number of provincial administrations promised millions of bonuses.

Jakarta, East Java, West Java, Central Java, South Sumatra teams, which occupied the top five in the final standings, had headed to the event with pledges of up to Rp 40 million in cash bonuses for a gold medalist.

The Papua administration also said that it had allocated Rp 30 million for any gold medalists.

Successful athletes might also expect an additional bonus from their respective sports organizations. A reward for record breakers is also provided.

Krisna Bayu, a judo athlete from South Sumatra admitted that incentives were important for athletes to help them give their all in their performance to win a gold.

"Let's be realistic. I moved to South Sumatra -- my new team -- because the administration had promised to pay me well. And it does. With this treatment I can concentrate on my performance and dedicate all my efforts to this province," he said.

Krisna, who in the past won gold medals for Central Java and West Java, chalked up a double victory in the men's freestyle and under-100 kilogram division.

"Without such an incentive, don't expect much from athletes," said Bayu, whose run at the recent Athens Olympics crashed in the first stage.

Acehnese fencer Habli, who won the gold in fencing, said winning a gold medal was his dream as it would help him improve his welfare.

"I dedicate this gold to Aceh, and in return I just hope that the Aceh administration will fulfill its promise to give gold medalist bonuses and a permanent job," said 32-year-old Habli, who is now a part-time civil servant with a salary of only Rp 500,000 per month.

Voppy Trismawanty, one of West Java's tae kwon do gold medalists, was also keen on getting a cash reward.

"But what I want more is a permanent job to help feel secure about the future," said 27-year-old Voppy, who is currently a part-time civil servant.

However, young athletes admitted to having been motivated more by the hope of making the national team. They said incentives came second.

Yulius Fernando, a 16-year-old gold medalist in the West Java tae kwon do team, said that he was pursuing a place in the national training center for a possible run in international competitions like the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and Asian Games.

"I know the team has promised some bonuses, but I don't really care about that as what I really want is to join the national training center. I want a gold in international competitions," he said.