Games athletes complain about equipment delays

JAKARTA (JP): The Rowing team has complained about an equipment delay which is holding up their training program for the 19th SEA Games in October.

An athlete said Sunday: "We are training although we are still waiting for the equipment (canoes and oars)," quoted Antara.

"We were hoping the equipment would be ready by August but we still have not received it," the athlete said, in Jatiluhur, West Java.

The athlete also said that the rowing and canoeing venue was not yet ready.

"The venue is only 50 percent ready. We have to adapt training to the unfinished state of the venue."

The canoes and oars are all foreign made and are expected to arrive in Indonesia soon.

Rowing training manager Soetono Goenadi said that he had reported the matter to National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar during Wismoyo's inspection tour of Jatiluhur recently.

Soetono said that renovations at the site had to be halted for a week at one point due to lack of funds.

"We had to borrow canoes from the navy."

Soetono has drawn the Games organizing committee's attention to the rowing venue and equipment problems.

Jatiluhur Authority director Muhamad Ulama has given Rp 1.5 billion to help continue the training.

Bowling

Ten bowling team members will submit a petition to the bowling team manager because of disagreements at the training center.

The ten are Poppy Tambis, Lie Yu Cam, Colin Linggawan, Oyke Wayong, David Sitorus, Donto Nurachman, Gatot Nugroho, Ira Chandra, Yani Ruzgar and Lily Suhaeni.

Poppy, a bronze medalist at the 18th SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, did not want to reveal the contents of the petition, but said the team members wanted an open discussion with team manager Sugeng Suryadi, Kompas reported yesterday.

SEA Games training director Djoko Pramono said Sunday that he had received a report about the problems from the athletes, and would meet them soon to finalize the matter.

"The athletes told me they would continue training despite the conflict," Djoko said.

"But I will meet the athletes on Monday to finalize the conflict."

He said that miscommunication between the athletes and the training manager had sparked the conflict.

"We will do our best to solve the problem," he said.

Hotel

SEA Games athletes and officials, both local and foreigners, do not need to worry about where they will stay during the Games because a new 40-story hotel for them had its official soft opening Sunday.

Mulia Senayan Hotel has 1,008 rooms and is on Jl. Asia Afrika, Senayan, a mere five minutes walk from the Track and Field Madya stadium.

It is equipped with sophisticated facilities and parking for 500 cars.

The event was attended by Bambang Trihatmodjo, chairman of the 19th SEA Games consortium, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas, and consortium deputy chairmen Wismoyo and Bambang Riyadi Soegomo.

Hotel spokeswoman Ira Maya Sopha said that although some sections of the hotel were still under construction, it was ready for use for the Games.

"We have yet to decide the grand opening date. We expect President Soeharto will officially open the hotel," Ira said.

A fire broke on Aug. 28 on the hotel's fifth floor but no fatalities were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

It was the second fire on the hotel's fifth floor. The first fire broke out on July 31. (lnt)