Coke donates Rp 250m to RI sports

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman received a cash donation of Rp 250 million (US$110,521) for national sports development from Coca-cola on Wednesday.

The money was part of the profits collected between May and July from the sale of 12.5 million specially-issued cans of cola. The fund-raising program was part of the community program services of PT Coca-cola Indonesia, Coca-cola's subsidiary in Indonesia, and its franchisee, Amatil Management Consulting Indonesia.

The special cans, now no longer in production, came in six versions. The first five displayed, variously, the faces of five top national athletes, while the sixth version displayed a symbol representing the sport of basketball, which is gaining in popularity among Indonesia's youth.

The five athletes whose faces were featured on the cans are badminton queen Susi Susanti; young soccer star Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto; top female archer Nurfitriyana S. Lantang; middleweight Albert Papilaya, quarterfinalist in last year's world boxing championships in Bangkok; and the country's fastest man, sprinter Mardi Lestari.

Each of them will get Rp 25 million from the money donated. Another Rp 25 million will go to the National Sports Council. The remainder will be transferred to the governing bodies of the six sports in question.

Upon receiving the donation, Hayono said the government appreciated Coca-cola's efforts to foster the development of sports in Indonesia. He said he hoped that the athletes whose faces were represented on the cans will become idols among Indonesia's youth.

The donation was presented by Richard Brooks, president director of Amatil Management Consulting Indonesia at the offices of the Ministry's. (arf)