Fencers set to try new camp in Guangzhou

Fencers set to try new camp in Guangzhou

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After their abrupt return on Saturday from overseas training
in Guangzhou, 21 national fencers are preparing to move to a new
school in the Chinese city next week.

The fencers, in training for the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA)
Games in November, were unhappy with the coaching at their
designated institution.

"We will move them from Wei Lun Sport School to a better sport
school, Er Sa Dau, after one week's relaxation here," Indonesian
Fencing Association (IKASI) head of development affairs Eman
Sumusi said on Tuesday.

"At the new school, three Chinese coaches have been assigned
to train them and they have promised to do better ..."

The nine men and 12 women left for Guangzhou on Aug. 1 for a
four-month training program, but returned at the weekend. They
complained they made little progress, with their coaches more
focused on training local athletes for the Chinese national games
in September.

The athletes claimed they lacked sparring partners and the
allocation of practice facilities.

"I went to Guangzhou on September 20 and we concluded that we
should return home," Eman said.

Guangzhou, the top training center for Chinese athletes, was
also chosen as the overseas training location for national
athletes in five other sports: wushu, wrestling, archery,
shooting and table tennis.

Eman said the Guangzhou administration, whose officials
visited Jakarta earlier this year to promote the city's sports
facilities, remained committed to training Indonesian athletes.

"I believe that they will keep their word by providing good
coaches and sparring partners for our athletes to improve. Their
prestigious national games is over, therefore I am quite
confident that they will fulfill their promise."

Despite the disruption in training, Eman was confident
national fencers would bring back at least two golds in the men's
and women's team epee events at the SEA Games.

National fencers are competing in all 12 fencing events --
foil, saber, epee -- at the Pasig City Sports Center in Metro
Manila.

Eman said they also had a chance for gold in the foil class,
now operating under new timing and scoring since August 2004.

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