Govt provides Rp 2b for SEAG training

Govt provides Rp 2b for SEAG training

JAKARTA (JP): The government has allocated some Rp 2 billion
(US$222,000) to help the National Sports Council (KONI) stage its
four-month training program for the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA)
Games in Kuala Lumpur.

KONI official in charge of athletes' development Mochamad
Hindarto said the fund would be disbursed to some 27 sports
organizations, whose sports have been ensured a place at the
biennial event.

"The amount is not enough to support all competing athletes.
So we will subsidize the organizations. We are expecting city
administrations and KONI's provincial chapters to help finance
their athletes," he said, adding that KONI would receive the
money in October.

Hindarto said the decentralized training, which is expected to
begin between September and December, would take place in the
athletes' hometowns.

"After December, we don't know where we can get the money. We
hope the government will allocate some more money from its extra
budget."

KONI aims to stage a long term training program in order to
retain the overall champion title from arch rival Thailand and
improve Indonesia's position in the medal tally, after falling to
the third place last year behind Thailand and Malaysia.

He also said that KONI has been registering athletes who are
likely to join the training program. Some potential athletes were
netted in the 2000 National Games in East Java last month.

Hindarto said KONI's official in charge of foreign affairs
Indra Kartasasmita would attend a sports committee meeting next
week in Kuala Lumpur to decide the events to be featured in the
Games.

"We hope Malaysia will include judo, rowing, canoeing and
wrestling in the Games."

KONI is scheduled to stage physical and medical tests to
examine athletes' training progress by the end of December or
earlier next year.

"We have set a target for them. They must reach a certain
physical condition before they attend the centralized training
program next year. They must achieve a similar condition as that
required in the 1997 SEA Games," he said.

Indonesia considers its achievement in the 1997 SEA Games here
as successful. The athletes trained for one year and made
Indonesia the overall champion. (ivy)