Curtain brought down on national sports woes
Curtain brought down on national sports woes
By Robert Soelistyo and Dwiatmanta
JAKARTA (JP): Whereas 1994 was remembered as a promising year
for Indonesian sport, highlighted by the success of winning two
world badminton supremacy symbols -- the Thomas Cup and the Uber
Cup -- 1995 has shattered all hopes with the defeat of the
nation's best athletes in the 18th Southeast Asian Games in
Chiang Mai, Thailand.
It was a repeat of what Indonesia suffered 10 years ago in
Bangkok, where the region's mighty "big brother" was toppled from
its leading position. A position it had held since 1977, when
Indonesia made its debut at the biennial sporting extravaganza.
There is no other consolation word to sum up the fate of
Indonesian sports throughout the year than setback. Indonesia's
failure to keep its highly esteemed status as the most powerful
sporting nation in Southeast Asia was ample proof and the
clearest illustration of this setback trend.
The kingpin of sports in the region for the last six years,
after the 1989 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, was emphatically dethroned
from its top position by a high-riding and highly-motivated
Thailand, which zealously battled it out at the just concluded
SEA Games in Chiang Mai.
The marauding Thais, competing on home ground, reigned supreme
in almost all the 28 medal sports. They stormed to 157 golds, 98
silvers and 91 bronzes to stand head and shoulder above Indonesia
which labored to gain 77 golds, 67 silvers and 77 bronzes.
Thus, the 18th SEA Games in Chiang Mai sadly marked an end of
Indonesia's unshakable control of the regional sporting
extravaganza. It failed to keep up with the pace of tremendous
improvement demonstrated by the Thais, who by doing so, presented
another crown to the their king on the 50th anniversary next
February of his ascension to the throne.
In the process, the host country duly lived up to its
ambitions of seizing back sports supremacy in the region after a
10-year lapse since their victorious performance in Bangkok.
Before everybody searched for the scapegoat, Indonesian team's
chef de mission Arie Sudewo resigned from his top post at the
National Sports Council. Chairman of the council, Wismoyo
Arismunandar, however, has yet to release his deputy pending a
plenary meeting next month.
The overall picture of Indonesia's sports achievements this
year on the international scene would have been more gloomy
indeed if not for a few individuals who, with their commendable
performances, spared the country from being overly embarrassed.
Shuttler players Susi Susanti and rising-star Mia Audina in
the women's division; their counterparts in the men's division,
including world champion Hariyanto Arbi, Joko Suprianto, Ardy
Wiranata and world doubles champions Ricky Subagja and Rexy
Mainaky; world number 24 in the WTA ranking Yayuk Basuki; and
chess player Utut Adianto, were but some of the athletes credited
for bringing honors to Indonesia in 1995, which proved to be a
paltry year for Indonesia in the international sports arena.
Badminton
Badminton, Indonesia's most popular playing sport, could
salvage the pride of the country of 190 people despite the
declining prowess.
All England this year landed the strongest badminton
powerhouse its most bitter smash when Hariyanto and Susi lost
their singles crowns. Susi was no more invincible, crashing to
China-born Swede Lim Xiaoqing in the semifinals, while an
uninspiring Hariyanto tumbled to Denmark's Poul Erik Hoyer-Larsen
in the final.
Susi flopped again in the World Championships semifinals, this
time to old foe and eventual winner Ye Zhaoying of China.
Hariyanto, whose defeat to Sun Jun cost Indonesia its Sudirman
Cup mixed team trophy, bounced back to win the men's singles
laurels.
As Susi scrambled all the way to maintain her top billing, Ye
kept up her big pressure. The Chinese extended her winning streak
over Susi in the World Cup final here last September and now is
eying Susi's Olympic gold and world number one ranking. Ye sealed
this year with another title at the Grand Prix Finals in
Singapore.
Injury added Susi's insult in November. The 25-year-old
badminton queen limped off the court with strained Achilles
tendon in her semifinal match against South Korea's Bang Soo-hyun
in the China Open which halt her from three successive major
events.
It was Joko, the oldest surviving former star, who played the
pivotal role in keeping Indonesia's grip on badminton world. He
displayed his masterful endurance to grab the Grand Prix Finals,
with a hard-fought win over China's Dong Jiong, winner of Hong
Kong Open and Thai Open.
Best host
However, when it comes to being a host nation in sports
events, Indonesia was always rated as the best host of
international sports.
The sports arena was home to a cheerful festival during the
50th anniversary of independence this year. Sports have become an
important concern to developing countries like Indonesia.
In January, when people were still recollecting the great
moments of 1994, the sporting year started with the Indonesia
Open tennis championships, the most lucrative tennis tournament
the country has ever held.
The Indonesian Tennis Association, under its new governing
figures, earmarked more than US$600,000 to stage the women's and
men's championships in two consecutive weeks. Local players
enjoyed a rare meeting with foreign players.
Performance-wise, excepting Indonesian tennis queen Yayuk
Basuki, the country's hopefuls were no match for the hard-serving
aliens. Sabine Hack, ranked 19 on the Women Tennis Association,
took the women's championships singles crown and Paul Haarhuis of
the Netherlands bagged the men's singles title.
Yayuk, making her title defense attempt, crashed out in the
semifinals due to diarrhea.
Three months later, a heroic Yayuk sprang a surprise by
toppling one of world's best players, Gabriela Sabatini, in a
Federation Cup tie against Argentina.
Yayuk's 7-5, 6-4 win, however, was not enough to give a
struggling Indonesian team a victory as the Argentinean pair of
Sabatini and Patricia Tarabini staved off the persistent
challenge of Yayuk and Romana Tejakusuma 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 for
an overall 3-2 win.
The loss forced Indonesia to travel to Italy for a World Group
play-off in July. Yayuk and company survived 3-2 and stayed in
the world top 16.
National tennis saw unpleasant developments this year.
Indonesia dropped its privilege of hosting the World Doubles
Championships after private station TPI broke its two-year
broadcasting deal with the ATP Tour, the men's professional
tennis body, in July. The ATP moved the $1.3 million tournament
to Eindhoven, Holland. Former world number one team Grant Connell
and Patrick Galbraith took the title.
The saddest page of the Indonesian tennis story came in
December at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai,
Thailand.
Indonesia lost its dazzle after Yayuk succumbed to local
heroine Tammarine Tanasugarn in the women's team. The national
team won three gold medals, but it surrendered the prestigious
men's and women's singles crowns to the Thais.
Bridge
The 5th World Junior Bridge Team Championships held in Kuta,
Bali, from July 8 to July 17, was one of clear examples of how
successful Indonesia was as a host nation. Unfortunately, its
bridge team, citing a lack of international performances as the
reason, was forced to stay at the bottom of the 12-nation meet
won by New Zealand.
So amazing was Indonesia in preparing and organizing such an
international event, with praise coming from World Bridge
Federation president French Jose Damiani, who was impressed by
the reports of Indonesia having done such a marvelous job of
organizing the tournament, all were glowing.
On the golf course, as the host country, Indonesia was
successful in entertaining foreign golfers. Unfortunately, when
it came to which Indonesian golfers (pros) managed to collect the
top cash prizes on offer, ranging from US$100,000 or above, the
most they could offer was inclusion among the best 20, or lower,
in a gallery of 52 foreign golfers in a US$250,000 event.
Archery
The golden year celebration continued with the World Archery
Championships in August. Blessed with the rare honor of being
opened by President Soeharto, the world archery meet had to fight
it out to clear up a diplomatic row about the inclusion of the
Israeli and Portuguese teams in the list of participants.
Indonesia has no diplomatic ties with these countries, but a
ruling by the World Archery Federation (FITA) suggests that a
host country shrug off any political barrier.
Only Portugal turned up eventually under FITA's flag, a
compromise agreed by both FITA and Indonesia. The Israeli team
withdrew because it was not willing to represent anybody but its
country.
South Korea pledged to keep its control over the Olympic round
events, but found Moldavian women's archer Natalia Valeeva denied
it a clean sweep. The South Korean women failed to make it to the
final which pitted Valeeva and Barbara Mensing of Germany against
each other.
The United States dominated the compound events which made
their debut in the official world meet. It won three golds, with
the women's individual going to France.
Indonesia finally took a medal thanks to the brilliant
performances of Nurfitriyana Lantang, Hamdiah and Dahliana. The
women's trio finished third in the Olympic team round to land the
country's only medal at the championships.
Once again, Chiang Mai's SEA Games proved a graveyard for
Indonesian athletes when Nurfitriyana and company failed to
maintain their standards. Two last minute gold medals in the
men's and women's teams saved Indonesia from blushing. The
Philippines upset Indonesia in the prestigious men's and women's
individual competitions.
Athletics
President Soeharto made his second appearance at a sporting
gala in late September at the Madya Senayan stadium, the venue of
the 11th Asian Track and Field Championships.
Wang Junxia also reappeared after half a year of absence, to
lead China to 20 golds, 13 silvers and five bronzes, retaining
its long-time supremacy.
Wang, the women's world 10,000m record holder, sped to two
golds on modest form. She disagreed, however, that the lack of
turtle blood from coach Ma Junren was to blame for her slower
run.
Amid China's thunder, the rest of the Asian countries remained
in balance. Qatar, despite the absence of top Asian sprinter
Talal Mansoor, dashed to five golds. Japan's new bloods and
newcomer Kazakhstan won three apiece, and South Korea took two.
Sri Lanka, an athletic minnow, stole the show with two golds
from Susanthika Jayasinghe in the 200m and Shriyani Kulawansa in
the 100m hurdles. The victories won by its' female runners were
Sri Lanka's first laurels in the championships' history.
But the glory turned into misery for Sri Lanka when Jayasinghe
failed her first dope test. The world amateur athletic body was
waiting for the second test as Jayasinghe lifted her country a
golden double at the South Asian Games last week.
Indonesia finished far below at 14th, thanks to two consoling
silvers from Tri Asih Handayani who finished second behind Wang
in 5,000m and 10,000m. Only five runners joined each of the
races.
The biggest win for Indonesia was possibly that Mohammad
Hasan, a timber baron, was reelected as the president of the
Asian Amateur Athletic Association for the next four-year term.
Track and field agony continued at the SEA Games when a medal
famine struck Indonesia. Only seven golds were secured by the
Indonesians, compared to Thailand's massive harvest of 21 golds.
Shooting
Senayan saw another big event as well as China's stiffening
grip over Asian sports in the 8th Asian Shooting Championships
late October. The shooting meet ended with China pocketing 23
golds. But South Korea served a notice by winning 10, at the
expense of China.
The championships also witnessed Indonesia celebrating its
return to the list of medal winning countries after 12 years. It
was the women's double trap trio of Sarmunah, Supadmi and Silvia
Silimang who earned the host team the much awaited medal.
Indonesia added another bronze in the newly introduced women's
running target, but it failed to move from the 12th place it
achieved at the previous meet in Beijing.
Supadmi was once again the toast of the Indonesian shooting
team at Chiang Mai's SEA Games. She won the double trap gold
medal and led an Indonesian trio to complete a second to give her
country its only two golds at the SEA Games.
Window A: Thus, the 18th SEA Games in Chiang Mai sadly marked an
end of Indonesia's unshakable control of the regional sporting
extravaganza.
Window B: Senayan saw another big event as well as China's
stiffening grip over Asian sports in the 8th Asian Shooting
Championships late October.