Bowling association undecided on venue for SEA Games
Bowling association undecided on venue for SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): With two bowling centers under construction and
another being renovated, the Indonesian Bowling Association is
yet to decide which to use for October's 19th SEA Games.
The favorite venues are the 10-pin Galeria Kosmik Boling Kodel
being built at Megamall Pluit and the Ancol bowling center, which
is being renovated.
Association chairman Oke F Supit said yesterday the two North
Jakarta venues were expected to be ready by the end of next
month.
"After the centers in Ancol and Pluit are finished, we'll
decide which is best to stage the SEA Games," he said.
Another center being built in Cilandak Plaza, South Jakarta,
was scheduled to be ready in September, he said.
Oke said that nine male and nine female athletes who were
training at the Ancol center would also use the Pluit center from
April.
American James William Godman took a one-year contract in
January to coach the team.
Oke said the association would select six male and six female
bowlers next month for the national team.
The association expects to win only one of the 12 bowling gold
medals on offer at the biennial event. At the last Games in
Chiang Mai, Thailand, Indonesia won only one bronze medal.
National bowler Yani Ruzgar, who is training at the Pluit
bowling center, urged the center's management to give national
athletes discounts to train there.
"If we aren't attending national training, we always have to
pay to play each game," she complained.
Yani spends Rp 40,000 (US$16.7) for 10 games every time she
trains.
"I practice twice or three times a week and I have to pay all
my expenses," she said.
The association is pinning its Games hopes on older bowlers
such as Yani and Poppy Tambis.
The association plans to send bowlers to international events
in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong in June and July.
KA Hidayat, a director of PT Megamulti Sportindo which manages
Galeria Kosmik, said the Rp 14 billion bowling center, which has
36 lanes, was expected to be completed on April 20.
Eight national rowers in training at the Jatiluhur dam, West
Java, are waiting for six new boats to help them prepare for the
Games.
They said the old boats they were using for training would
affect their performance.
Coach Keffy said the entire team was rowing and doing other
training everyday.
The Indonesian Rowing Association is scheduled to hold final
selection trials in August.
All the rowers will train and compete in Australia or Hong
Kong in June and July.
The Games' rowing, canoeing, kayaking and dragon boat racing
events will be held at the Jatiluhur dam. (yan)