Indonesia needs good athletics coaches
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is in dire need of better qualified track and field coaches to further develop the skills and techniques of local athletes, an expert of the International Amateur Athletic Federation says.
"Athletes are only as good as their coaches," Bjorn Wangemann, IAAF's development director, told The Jakarta Post at an IAAF administration seminar.
The four-day seminar was attended by representatives of track and field associations from 13 Asian countries, including Iran, Maldives, Southeast Asian countries and India.
According to J.E.W. Gosal, director of IAAF's Asian Regional Development Center, the seminar is aimed at standardizing technical and administration know-how on athletics. This includes coaching, marketing and sponsorship, he added.
Commenting on Indonesia's poor performance in the 5th Asian junior athletic championship, which ended on Tuesday, Bjorn said Indonesian athletes were not to be blamed.
"It was due to a lack of qualified coaching," Bjorn said. At the four-day track and field meet, which lasted four days at Senayan Madya stadium, Indonesia won only one gold medal through Ferry Junaedi in the men's 10,000m.
According to Bjorn, Indonesian coaches are good but "better coaches are needed" in order to improve the performance of Indonesian athletes.
When asked to comment on foreign coaches, Bjorn said hiring foreign coaches was only good for the few athletes they directly and personally instructed. Because their span of coaching is limited, hiring them was not very useful for improving the quality of Indonesian athletes in general, he added.
Quality
Hence, instead of hiring foreign coaches, Indonesia should focus on developing the quality of its own coaches, Bjorn advised.
Gurmilang Kartasasmita, former research and development official of the Indonesian Athletic Association (PASI), told the Post that Indonesia has 100 level-one coaches certified by IAAF.
Level-one coaches are those who deal with the coaching of all aspects of track and field in general. Level-two coaches are more specialized. Education for level-two coaches entails specialization in all throwing events, all jumping events, sprinting and middle and long distance running and walking.
Gurmilang said that there is currently a level-two education course for level-one coaches at Senayan Madya stadium. National coach Wita Witarsa is the Indonesian coach who is now taking part in the course, Gurmilang said. The other national coaches are actually qualified enough to take part, he added, but their inability to speak English barred them from joining the course.
Suyono Danusayogo, PASI's vice general secretary, said that the ongoing educational course for level-two coaches is an IAAF pilot project.
If successful, IAAF will adopt the course materials and curriculum as a standard for all its regional development centers throughout the world, Suyono added.
At present, IAAF's regional development center in Jakarta, established in July 1988, is the only one in Asia. According to Gosal, IAAF is going to set up its second Asian development center in Beijing on Oct. 28., which will group East Asian countries only. (arf)