BPGS pledges Rp 2 billion for Olympics preparation
BPGS pledges Rp 2 billion for Olympics preparation
JAKARTA (JP): The Gelora Senayan Management Board (BPGS) has
pledged to provide Rp 2 billion (US$2.8 million) to the National
Sports Council (KONI) to stage its long-term training program for
the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Chairman of the Gelora Senayan Executive Directors (DPGS)
Yasidi Hambali said on Thursday KONI had officially requested Rp
5 billion to stage the training.
"I have urged the BPGS chairman, State Secretary Ali Rahman,
to disburse the money at the latest by January to enable KONI to
stage its Olympic training programs," he said.
KONI has said it will need Rp 6.9 billion for its Olympic
preparations. It has submitted its budget proposal to the
National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), however the board
is yet to respond.
KONI secretary-general Rudolf Warouw said earlier that he
hoped BPGS would disburse the Rp 2 billion fund before the
training center opened in February.
"I believe BPGS will give us the funds. If Bappenas and BPGS
cannot provide the Rp 6.9 billion budget, KONI will formulate a
request to the government," he said.
"If there are no more funds, then we will prioritize the most
likely medal winners to compete at the Olympics. If there are
sports organizations who have athletes which have qualified for
the Olympics, and they want to finance their athletes'
preparation, then we won't have any problems in sending them
all."
Warouw urged the official in charge of distributing state
enterprise profits to KONI, Qoyum Tjandranegara, to promptly hand
over Rp 2.5 billion.
Qoyum, who is also director of state owned Perum PGN, had said
that he would hand over Rp 2.5 billion. But he changed his mind
early this week, saying he might only provide Rp 1.5 billion.
"I hope all of the Rp 2.5 billion will be handed over soon. I
don't know why he made that statement. We don't know the
financial condition of the state enterprises," he said.
KONI is forced to use its annual Rp 800 million budget to
finance the preparations before disbursement of the money.
"Some of the budget was used to finance our athletes to
compete in the prequalifying rounds of the Olympics, including
windsurfer Oka Sulaksana in Noumea, New Caledonia, recently,"
said KONI official in charge of planning and budget Togi
Hutagaol.
KONI has planned to provide each athlete with a Rp 350,000
monthly allowance during the training period. So far, only 12
athletes have qualified for the Olympics.
Yasidi said BPGS had saved Rp 150 billion for sports facility
renovations rather than sports development.
"We can use the money to finance our participation in the
Olympics, the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur and the
2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea. Those three activities
take Rp 124 billion. We can use the money, but we won't have
anything left," he said.
The money will be used to renovate the Senayan soccer stadium
and swimming pool, complete the billiard and snooker center in
the Senayan sports complex and build another indoor stadium in
the East parking lot.
Speaking about the plan to build a Senayan Tower on the ex-
KONI office on Jl. Sudirman, Yasidi said a South Korean company
had expressed interest in continuing the construction, which was
stopped due to the monetary crisis.
"I can't comment on it. It's still too early," he said. (yan)