Indonesia enters 26 events at SEAG

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia insists on taking part in 26 events at the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, missing out on the chance to win medals in field hockey and rugby.

Training director of the National Sports Council, Moch. Hindarto, said yesterday that the council had no choice but to field athletes for the 26 events during the Dec. 9 to Dec. 17 Games, saying that they have a good chance to win medals in those sports.

"We don't have the heart to drop them from the list after we witnessed them training hard," Hindarto said. He added that the council would announce the line-up of the team after Oct. 15. Only seven of 26 sports organizations have submitted nominees so far.

Rugby will make its debut in the 18th SEA Games, with two gold medals at stake. A total of 334 golds are up for grabs during the eight-day competition. (amd)