Boxers dropping weight classes for Asiad

Boxers dropping weight classes for Asiad

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian boxers will be seeking to focus their efforts in the
boxing competition at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan (the city
formerly known as Pusan), South Korea on the lower weight
categories to hopefully increase the boxers' medal prospects, an
official has said.

The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) is
currently grooming seven pugilists, three of whom will come under
extra tight supervision in an attempt to have them drop down one
weight class each, where it is believed they would match up
better with their respective opponents.

Pertina deputy secretary Didiet Sudijoto said the dieting
program would affect Stevie Binalay, a 1998 Asiad gold medalist,
Willem Papilaya and Bara Gomies.

"It should increase their medal chances if they compete in the
lighter classes," Didiet told reporters here on Friday.

He said that Stevie, Willem and Bara, who currently fight in
the 75kg, 71kg, and 67kg categories respectively, would train and
diet in order to drop down to the 71kg, 67kg and 63.5kg weight
classes respectively.

"It's not an easy task. But we will try it and see if it
works. We are hoping that they will make weight before August
next year," Didiet said.

The Asian Games will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, and the
boxing competition will have 12 gold medals on offer.

The other four hopefuls on the boxing squad are SEA Games gold
medalist Bonyx Saweho, as well as newcomers Fernando Samosir,
Benny Tahumesal and Stanley Kalisaran.

Didiet did not rule out any replacements on the team,
depending on the next qualifying stage in which the athletes
would have to get through two main tests administered by the
National Sports Council (KONI).

The first test will be held next month at a special pre-
training camp where the boxers will join 164 other athletes from
various disciplines for an eight-day camp, with the aim of
assessing whether the athletes have already reached a 60 percent
target of general fitness as is required by KONI.

"If they make it through that assessment, they will go through
another one in April. If any of them fail, he will certainly be
left off the squad. The message is clear, that we will only send
to Busan, those who are absolutely ready to fight," Didiet said,
adding that the second assessment would be incorporated with try-
outs, but he did not give further details.

The pre-training camp will run from Jan. 7 to Jan. 14 at the
Jatiluhur Reservoir in Puwakarta, around 100 kilometers east of
Jakarta. The fitness tests will be conducted on the final day
while the remaining days will be apportioned for the exercises.

Given the fact that the athletes have only seven days of
preparation, which is not considered an ample period ahead of the
test, Didiet has ordered the boxers to step up their own training
at home.

"It is impossible for the boxers to reach the required
physical shape with only seven days of workouts, so we had to
instruct them to train on their own and they have already begun
that," he said.