Bonuses, permanent jobs promised to athletes

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.