Games rowing organizers need more funding
JAKARTA (JP): Organizers of the 19th SEA Games rowing, canoeing and traditional boat race events complained yesterday that they had only received Rp 65 million (US$24,857) of their Rp 700 million budget.
The organizers' secretary, Lina Harun, said at Sunter Lake, North Jakarta, that the boat event organizers had submitted a budget plan to the Organizing Committee (OC) in February.
"At the plenary meeting early this week, I was given Rp 65 million although the OC had promised to provide some of the money by the end of July," she said.
"Luckily, the Jatiluhur Authority has helped us by asphalting the road from the main gate to the venue and building a boathouse. Most of our budget was for building the boathouse, which costs about Rp 300 million. It is nearing completion," she said.
The organizers submitted their first term budget in April and decided to submit the next after receiving the money. But, two months prior to the biennial event, which starts on Oct. 11 and ends on Oct. 19, they have yet to receive the money.
They are still waiting for Rp 125 million from the Games consortium to finish the boathouse. The boathouse is needed to store all new 50 boats for the Games. The boats cost between Rp 8 million and Rp 56 million each.
Lina said the organizers needed another Rp 100 million to make lanes for the 31-event competition.
"Each lane needs a 4,000 meters stall draft (a lane divider), which is only produced in Surabaya. We need 5kms of 12mm stall drafts, 5kms of 10mm stall draft and 12kms of 7mm stall draft for the Games," she said.
The organizers will make eight lanes for the competition and two lanes on each side in case of emergency.
The lanes take at least two months to make.
The organizers also want to set up huts for athletes, referees, the events secretariat, the control commission, the medical team and the drug testing team. They will also build temporary starting gates, a pier and toilets.
"We have ordered the stall drafts but we can't collect them because we have to pay cash and we don't have the money," Lina said.
The facilities, which were used at the 1996 National Games, are broken and useless.
The event organizers' chairman, Sutono Gunadi, has asked the National Sports Council vice chairman Arie Soedewo, the OC's facilities deputy Soeharto and the Gelora Senayan Management Board director Saptodarsono to help but has had only promises.
Lina said the organizers may make simple lanes if they don't get their money soon.
"We wanted to try to make the best because our international body will visit and supervise our work during the Games. They will control the competition, the facilities and the organizers. If we aren't capable of staging the event properly, will people believe that we just won a World Championship," she said, with a smile.
The Indonesian Rowing Association expects to win 24 of the 31 golds on offer. In the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Indonesia made a clean sweep of seven golds while host Thailand only won one silver and five bronzes.
Hockey
Meanwhile, turf installation supervisor, Gary Baumer, of the American company Astro Turf said yesterday that the installation would take three weeks.
"Once I received the turf, I can finish the installation in three weeks with good weather," said Baumer, who arrived from England Wednesday night.
Gelora Senayan Management Board's deputy for facilities development, Soekamto, said the installation would only take a week.
The Astro Turf company, which was appointed to make the synthetic hockey field for the Senayan Sports Complex, said the turf would arrive on Aug. 16.
The field will be asphalted from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10 and will need two weeks to dry. (yan)