Five locals to attend World Cup '98

JAKARTA (JP): The French government has included five Indonesian students among 700 selected from around the world to watch the World Cup soccer semifinals and final in France in July.

Aji, a French Cultural Center (CCF) spokeswoman, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that three students came from Jakarta, while the other two were from Bandung and Yogyakarta.

"The five finalists were among the 100 entrants in a writing contest held by the CCF recently. They also had to pass an interview test in French," she said.

The students are Bintang Sudibyo Sindy and Lumentut N. William Steady of the Jakarta-based University of Indonesia, Muhammad Zainal Fuad of the Yogyakarta-based Academy of Foreign Languages, Puti Adla, a high school student from Jakarta and Theresia Dewi Rezeki of the Bandung-based NHI tourism institute.

They will be accompanied by Ewin Mardhana, a CCF teacher who won his section of the contest.

Aji said that the French government would cover the students' air fares, airport taxes, accommodation and travel expenses. "But they will not receive pocket money," she added.

The organizers will divide the 700 students selected into two groups in the semifinals, 300 watching the match at Stade Velodrome in Marseille on July 7 and the rest attending the game at Stade de France, Paris on July 8.

The final will be played at Stade de France on July 12.

Apart from the World Cup, the students will tour the country, including attending celebrations of France's national day on the Champs Elysees in Paris on July 14 and a garden party at the president's Elysee Palace.

They will meet a number of cultural observers, scientists sports people and French youths. They will even appear on the French TV channel FR3 in the Dictee de Bernard Pivot (Dictation from Bernard Pivot) program. (lnt)