Controversial decision costs Indonesia a gold

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.