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)