Controversial decision costs Indonesia a gold
By Primastuti Handayani
BANGKOK (JP): Bizarre refereeing marred the tae kwon do competition at the 13th Asian Games on Tuesday when Indonesia's woman flyweight Juana Wangsa Putri was deprived of her chance to win a gold medal.
Juana, making her Asiad debut, beat Thailand's Usa Sinlapajarn 4-3 in the semifinals at the Thammasat University sports complex. But after a protest was filed by the host team, the judges changed their decision and awarded the victory and the ticket to the final to the home favorite.
Furious crowd threw plastic bottles onto the floor of the arena before the judges gathered to discuss Thailand's protest.
Thailand, which paid US$100 to file its objection, demanded that the panel of judges recount the scores of the athletes. At first, the judges upheld their decision. But after a second round of debates, which lasted 45 minutes, they granted Thailand's appeal, at the expense of Juana.
"I cannot understand why the judges canceled their own decision," a dejected Juana said after her controversial defeat.
"I think I fought my best and deserve the victory. If they ask me for a rematch, I don't mind. I'm not scared," she added.
The Thai eventually lost in the final to Taiwanese Tang Hui- wen.
Veteran competitor and Indonesia's medal hope in the men's tae kwon do heavyweight division, Andri Halim, questioned the quality of refereeing, saying that it was the first time in the sport's history that a panel of judges overruled their own decision.
"What a shame. How can a decision, already upheld, be canceled just because the host protests. If they (the judges) were doubtful, they should have canceled the match instead of changing it afterwards," he said emotionally.
Let it be
But Indonesia's South Korean coach, Oh Il-nam, maintained his cool.
"Just let it be...," he said. "I think I would not respect an athlete who wins only after a protest."
Oh asked the judges to let him watch a replay of the match on video, but it did not change the final decision.
National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar, who watched the semifinal bout, ordered his staff to study the case.
In the men's flyweight bout later in the day, Indonesia's Satriyo Rahardani had to be content with the silver medal after losing to Ho Nhat-Thong of Vietnam in the final.
The 17-year-old Satriyo, competing with a bloody nose, was outdueled in the bout by the Vietnamese 5-2.
Oh said that he had expected Satriyo, who was also making his Asiad debut, to take the gold.
"If only he was not injured, he would have won the gold," Oh said.
Satriyo said that he failed to maintain his composure after seeing his teammate Juana's controversial loss.
"I could not concentrate. I felt like I blacked out in the arena," he said.
Indonesia is hoping to win more medals in tae kwon do from men's bantamweight Dominggus Boro, men's heavyweight Andri and women's heavyweight Sinta Berliana Heru.