Drug abuse confirmed at National Games
JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) admitted yesterday, after a week-long wait, that the just concluded 14th National Games were not free of banned drug use.
KONI chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar said after a meeting with the Games Organizing Committee yesterday that at least 10 athletes were suspected of taking banned substances, after over 1,200 urine samples were tested in a doping control laboratory at Rawa Kerbau, East Jakarta.
The shameful news came the same day the committee was officially dissolved after its one-year service. Doping scandals have haunted the committee in successive Games. But this year the committee has also had to worry about a budget deficit after promoter PT Citrahasta Promotama failed to pay the committee Rp 3 billion (US$1.29 million) of its Rp 7 billion commitment.
Wismoyo refused to name the athletes suspected of taking banned drugs, saying he would first review reports from the Games doping commission.
"I will ask the commission to talk to the suspected athletes and listen to their reasons," Wismoyo said. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules that a doping commission must inform athletes who have tested positive, and allow them to request second tests.
"They are allowed to have second tests on their own account in any laboratory, either here or abroad, as long as they are authorized by the IOC," said Eddy Widodo, secretary-general of the Games committee. The committee will also send letters to the suspects informing them of the results of their urine tests.
The Rawa Kerbau laboratory, Indonesia's first doping control laboratory, was built for the Games in cooperation with the Sydney-based Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory.
Neither Eddy or Wismoyo would say which illegal substances the athletes were suspected of taking.
"I can't tell you what kind of drugs they are. But I assure you they are not as dangerous as steroids," Wismoyo said.
Another doping scandal hit the Games three years ago when a female swimmer, a female cyclist and three male cyclists were found to have used steroids.
Success
But Wismoyo could at least cheer the successful organization of the Games.
"It was a great success, as indicated by the 312 records that fell in competitions," he said.
During the 12-day event, 156 meet, 72 national, 13 Southeast Asian Games, 30 Asian and 12 junior world records were broken.
At the previous Games, 106 less records were broken.
Both the sports council and the Games organizers considered the results "satisfactory" despite the fact the athletes performances failed to meet international or Asian standards.
The Asian and junior world records at this years Games were all broken in power lifting, a non-Olympic sport. In the Games' mother event, the track and field, not a single national record fell.
Wismoyo reiterated his support for a proposal to hold the Games in 2000 outside Jakarta.
"I think we all realize that the people want to see the Games staged in other provinces. The idea is in line with our policy to encourage fairer development in sports," he said.
"But it all depends on the President (Soeharto). He prefers poverty eradication as the top priority," Wismoyo added.
East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman said earlier that his province was ready to host the 2000 National Games. The province's authorities have planned to build a new sports complex outside of downtown Surabaya for the event.
"A governor has to submit a proposal to the President. If the Games budget does not disturb poverty eradication programs, then I think it can host the sporting event," Wismoyo said. (yan)