First phase of SEA Games training may be a failure, says KONI official

JAKARTA (JP): The beginning of the year 2001 has not been good for the National Sports Council (KONI) as its first phase of training program for the 2001 Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian (SEA) Games may be a failure.

"We can say that the first phase of our SEA Games training program has not been successful in meeting its target although some KONI provincial chapters have not sent their official reports yet," KONI's chief of the training supervision center Imron Z. Syariffudian told reporters on Wednesday.

"There have been many obstacles during the program that caused its failure. The failure has forced us to redesign the program for the second phase where we would still focus on physical training besides skill and technics sessions."

KONI will have a physical fitness test for athletes in late January or early February.

"From the results of the test, we can declare the first phase a failure or a success. Based on the results, KONI and sports organizations will redesign the training program for the next term to boost the athletes physical fitness," Imron said.

The training's first phase, which was from September to December 2000, was designed to improve athletes' physical fitness before entering the second phase which includes technical skill improvement sessions which is slated to start in February and end in May.

Imron pointed his finger on financial shortages faced by KONI's provincial chapters as the main factor for the program's failure.

KONI was unable to disburse the monthly allowance for athletes and coaches which is Rp 250,000 (US$27) and Rp 400,000 respectively. KONI had only managed to disburse the allowance in late December.

The final budget estimation for the Games preparation was set at Rp 77 billion, cut back from some Rp 100 billion in the initial budget.

"I must admit KONI had problems financing the training center. So far, the government has yet to state its willingness to finance the training center," said Imron, who was also appointed deputy to the SEAG training director.

"So far we have only received Rp 5 billion from the Gelora Senayan Management Board (BPGS). We also have a surplus of Rp 500 million from last year's budget," he said, adding that KONI was also expecting businesspeople to give financial aid.

Imron pointed to the fact that both athletes and KONI's provincial chapters' officials are not ready to face the problems.

"Athletes and the provincial chapters' officials lack motivation in searching for a way out of the financial problem. They could have been more proactive," he said.

"Some athletes refused to undergo the physical fitness training sessions unless their allowance were disbursed. Such attitude erodes their own condition."

"And for the officials, they couldn't even provide a bank account number when KONI was ready to disburse the fund. How could we send the money then?"

Until last December, only 21 provincial chapters had given their bank account numbers to KONI.

In Semarang, the Indonesian Taekwondo Association (TI) secretary-general Adrian Lumowa said on Tuesday that two junior taekwondoins -- who won gold medals in the recent Southeast Asian Taekwondo Union (SEATU) championship in Vietnam -- would join the SEA Games preparation.

"We'll include Derry Darmansyah and Emerald Margareth Dien in the preparation because they have performed excellently in the championship."

"TI had recruited other good fighters in the 2000 National Games. It will recruit more taekwondoins in the national championships in February."

Semarang-based Derry grabbed the gold in the men's featherweight class and Bandung-based Margareth took the gold in the women's middleweight division. (har/nvn)