Hockey row erupts ahead of PON finale
JAKARTA (JP): A hockey row made headlines yesterday as the 14th National Games braces for a gallant closing ceremony.
The organizing committee prompted a break in yesterday's frenetic competition with the disqualification of women's hockey as a medal event. The announcement followed a finding on Monday that Yogyakarta, which was scheduled to play East Java in tomorrow's final, entered the Games without passing registration procedures.
The committee also disqualified Yogyakarta, reducing the participating teams of the women's hockey competition to four. A Games regulation says a medal event should feature at least five teams.
It was the first case of its kind in the 48-year-old history of the sporting festival that a medal event was abandoned after having reached the final.
The National Sports Council is preparing punitive measures against hockey officials following the violation of procedures, but the national hockey chief Rajkumar Singh replied with a threat to bring the case to court.
"I can't understand why this is happening. The committee should have learned of Yogyakarta's ineligibility since the early stage and picked a substitute to keep the show going," Singh said.
The Indonesian Hockey Association has had an uncertain relationship with the National Sports Council after the council dropped hockey from the sports Indonesia would compete in at the Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand last year.
In the battlefield, windsurfers gave marauding host Jakarta a major boost on top of the medal standings after winning eight of 13 golds at stake yesterday. Jakarta confirmed its grip with 105 golds, 63 silvers and 63 bronzes.
West Java shrugged off East Java's mounting pressures to stay in the second spot with 55 golds, 66 silvers and 60 bronzes. East Java trailed in third place overall, with three-gold deficit.
Soccer
But East Java could now hope to win the Games' most prestigious gold as it booked a ticket to the soccer final with a 2-1 win over a feisty North Sulawesi at the Senayan stadium. East Java will play defending champion Irian Jaya -- which beat South Sulawesi 2-1 after extra time -- in the final, which serves as an appetizer for the closing ceremony on Friday.
Underdog North Sulawesi surprised favorite East Java with an early 1-0 lead after 13 minutes when left winger Alen Mandey shot an inadvertent cannon to the goal.
Substitute Agus Winarno came just in time to give East Java a wake-up call with a 23rd-minute equalizer, the only converted goal after numerous efforts.
East Java found it uneasy with North Sulawesi's defensive- prone play, despite the late services of national players Eri Irianto and Anang Maruf, who arrived on Monday from the Tiger Cup tournament in Singapore. Eri sealed North Sulawesi's fate with a tap-in four minutes from time.
Title holder Irian also got off to a disastrous start as it trailed 0-1 until the halftime, after Maulid Ibrahim hit a 35th minute goal for South Sulawesi.
Ortisan Salasa was the toast of the Irianese, with a late equalizer just two minutes before regulation time. He clinched his team's victory four minutes into the first half of the extra time.
Organizers announced yesterday that the closing ceremony will include a cultural festival highlighted by laser entertainment and fireworks.
"We are trying to stage an exuberant ceremony for the public," ceremony official Kusnan Ismukanto said yesterday.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas will declare the 12-day event closed during the ceremony. The organizers had earlier expected Vice President Try Sutrisno to officially close the Games. (amd)
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