Indonesia is no longer SE Asia's sports power

Indonesia is no longer SE Asia's sports power

BANGKOK (JP): Although six gold medals from the Asian Games
here are already in hand as expected, Indonesia finds no reason
to celebrate after seeing Thailand emerge as a new Asian sporting
powerhouse.

While refusing to play down his team's achievements,
Indonesia's chef de mission Mochammad Hindarto said on Friday
night that national athletes should learn from their Thai hosts
who had performed outstandingly during the Games.

"We have to admit that Thailand is now a step ahead of us in
sports. They had prepared their athletes extraordinarily for the
Asiad. We need to develop our athletes better than we did in the
past to keep up with them," Hindarto said during a dinner at the
Indonesian Embassy.

Badminton, Indonesia's lifeline to sports for decades,
contributed two golds, while wind surfing, track and field,
karate and tennis earned the country one gold apiece. Indonesia
has also won 10 silvers and 10 bronzes as of Friday, compared to
Thailand's 20 golds, 24 silvers and 36 bronzes.

In the 12th Asiad in Hiroshima, Japan, Indonesia managed only
three golds, 12 silvers and 11 bronzes. Thailand won only one
gold, 11 silvers and 13 bronzes in those Games.

Hindarto, who is also the National Sports Council (KONI) chief
of athletes development, predicted that Thailand would dominate
the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) next year in Brunei. The Thais
have beaten Indonesia twice in the medal race at the SEA Games.

"We won't be able to match Thailand if they come to the next
SEA Games at full strength. Thailand are good in three Olympic
events: track and field, shooting and swimming." he said.

These three events usually account for about a third of the
gold medals at stake in an international sporting event.

He warned that Malaysia could also pose serious threats to
Indonesia in future sporting events, due to the fact that it has
so far won five gold medals here.

Chances

Hindarto said that Indonesian athletes could have won more
medals in the Asiad here if they had not wasted their chances. He
also blamed Indonesia's mediocre performance on some sports
organizations which had failed to carry out their training
programs in line with KONI's guidelines.

However, he refused to identify the athletes or sports
organizations in question.

Hindarto gave credit to the athletes who, despite their
injuries or illnesses, carried on their fight for top honors. He
particularly praised women's tennis singles champion Yayuk Basuki
and men's badminton singles runner-up Hendrawan.

Hendrawan battled a fever in his semifinal and final matches.
He lost in the finals to eventual gold medalist Dong Jiong of
China in three sets.

Yayuk, meanwhile, played all of her matches in team and
individual events with blistered feet.

Hindarto said that Indonesia could no longer rely on Asian
Games veterans if it was to excel in the 2000 Olympic Games in
Sydney.

"KONI had planned to give young athletes a shot in the next
SEA Games. The event will serve as a stepping-stone for them to
shine in the Olympics," he said.

The backbone of the national team for the 1999 SEA Games will
be selected from students at the KONI-run physical education
schools across the country. (yan)