Handicapped athletes want more Sports Council's help

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Sports Body for the Disabled (BPOC) called on the National Sports Council (KONI) for more help on Tuesday on account of international laurels won by handicapped Indonesian athletes.

Speaking before the KONI congress at the Mulia Senayan Hotel, BPOC chairman Siswo Muchsin said the sports council had long discriminated against disabled athletes in terms of treatment and attention.

"KONI provided us with only two flight tickets out of the 12 we requested when we wanted to take part in the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled in Bangkok last month," Siswo said, citing an example.

The Indonesian team brought home two gold medals it won in badminton and one bronze in weightlifting at the Games.

Siswo said the organization planned to send 60 athletes and 15 officials to the 2000 Paralympic Games, which will follow the Olympics, in Sydney.

"We have set a target of finishing 10th in the medals table with 10 golds from track and field," he said. Badminton, the sport Indonesian disabled athletes also excel in, will not appear in Sydney.

Host Australia and China are expected to dominate the Paralympics, according to Siswo.

Siswo said his squad could finish among the top four at the Paralympics if they were provided with training equipment which meets international standards.

"We use aluminum equipment produced in Surakarta, Central Java. In international competitions, fiber glass equipment is a must, but it is expensive," he said.

Siswo also asked KONI to consider obliging a host city of the National Games to organize similar games for the disabled.

"We cannot afford to fund such a sports event ourselves, merely because no companies are interested in sponsoring it," he said.

Siswo said BPOC hoped to stay with KONI instead of returning to the ministry of social services.

"The ministry only gave us courses to enable us to make a living, but not to improve our achievements in sports," he said. (yan)