Indonesia loses overall champion title

Indonesia loses overall champion title

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has fallen far short of its goal of
becoming the overall champion of the 18th Southeast Asian Games
in Chiang Mai, Thailand, according to contingent spokesman
Ishadi.

He calculated that Indonesia would only be able to collect 85
gold medals, or 80 percent of its target of 99.

Indonesia had collected 59 gold, 48 silver and 68 bronze
medals as of Friday. On the other side, Thailand had collected
113 gold, 79 silver and 79 bronze medals.

The Games title will be presented to Thai King Bhumibol
Adulyadej as his 68th birthday present.

Ishadi estimated on Friday that Thailand would be able to
sweep 120 gold medals, more than the 113 targeted. By Friday the
Thais had already gained 113, as compared with their target of
scoring 103 by that day.

"It's hard to trail the host by so much," he said.

According to Ishadi, although Indonesia is working all out to
collect more gold medals, it will only be able to earn 41, not
enough to reach the targeted 99 gold medals.

Commenting on the failure of Indonesia's athletes, Ishadi said
Indonesia had underestimated the both the preparation of
Thailand's athletes and their hidden power.

Well-prepared

"Thailand prepared its athletes very well. And unfortunately
we did not anticipate its tremendous progress. Without being
dishonest -- if the allegations (of unfair practices) are true --
I believe they would still have come out as the overall
champion," he said.

Indonesia's track and field and swimming teams, which were
expected to contribute 11 and six gold medals respectively,
failed to meet the targets set for them by the National Sports
Council.

The Indonesian track and field athletes managed to collect
only seven golds, while the swimmers only gained three gold
medals of the 31 on offer in the pool. One of these was grabbed
in diving by Temmy Kusuma, while the other two were earned by
Richard Sam Bera.

The swimmers took seven silver medals and 12 bronzes. For its
part, Thailand swept 14 golds, 14 silvers and 11 bronzes in the
pool.

Antara reported that the seven gold medals in track and field
was a worse result than that in the last SEA Games in Singapore
two years ago, where Indonesia got 13 gold medals.

Pieter Noya, head coach of the track and field team, said that
Indonesia had failed to earn gold medals in five events of the
track and field competition. However, he declined to say what the
events were.

Earlier, Bob Hasan, chairman of the track and field
association, said Indonesia should not look for a scapegoat for
its failure at the Games. Thailand's athletes are better than
Indonesia's, he said.

"They have great power, unlike our athletes," he added.

Meanwhile, swimming team manager Roosdiono said that Thailand
had not only prepared its athletes well for the Southeast Asian
Games, but had also groomed its sportsmen and women for the
upcoming Asian Games in 1998, which are to be held in Bangkok.
(05)