Hockey row erupts ahead of PON finale

Wed, 18 Sep 1996, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

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)