Indonesia officialy welcomed in Games village

By Primastuti Handayani and Ivy Susanti

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (JP): Host Brunei Darussalam welcomed the Indonesian contingent to the 20th Southeast Asian Games athletes village here on Thursday.

Indonesia's red and white flag was raised in a ceremony presided over by village mayor Awang Haji Ibrahim bin Haji Ismail to mark the arrival of 354 Indonesian athletes to the biennial event, scheduled to open on Saturday.

Indonesia is the fifth squad to arrive in the village after Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and the Philippines. Cambodia and Singapore arrived later in the day, while the teams from Myanmar and Vietnam will arrive in Brunei on Friday.

Indonesia chef de mission Mochammad Hindarto said he had no complaints with the facilities provided by Brunei, which is playing host to the Games for the first time.

"Our athletes have stayed here for two days and they are very satisfied with the modern facilities. They feel comfortable and secure here. It feels like home," Hindarto said.

Hindarto said the Indonesian athletes, out to maintain their supremacy in the Games, were ready to compete.

"Our athletes are well prepared to put up a fight. We look forward to competing with athletes from other participating countries .... At the same time we hope we can maintain the purpose of the Games, which is friendship," he said.

Twenty-one Indonesian athletes were present at the flag- raising ceremony.

Hindarto was accompanied to the ceremony by his deputy Hussein Argasasmita and four athletes wearing traditional costumes from North Sumatra and South Sulawesi. The athletes were women's golfer Titi Puryanti, women's pencak silat athlete Ni Made Supadmi, men's karateka Umar Syarief and men's pencak silat athlete Abas Akbar.

Indonesia is fielding the second-largest team at the Games. Thailand has the most number of athletes with 361.

The Games organizing committee said all the venues were ready for the competition.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah will officially declare the start of the Games at Saturday's opening ceremony at the National Stadium.

Separately, Brunei National Olympic Committee and Organizing Committee chairman Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah said the people of Brunei were pleased to be hosting the last SEA Games of the century.

"In spite of all our efforts, being the host for the first time there can still be minor hiccups or even shortcomings on our part.

"We thank the representatives of all member countries for the honor they have given to us and the trust they have in our ability and commitment," he said.

"Let us all strive toward uplifting the sporting standard of this region, so it is comparable to other regions of the world. At the same time, let me hope that the very spirit of friendship that prevails among all the countries in ASEAN be maintained to justify the SEA Games being known as the 'Friendly Games' of the region," he said. ASEAN is the acronym for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Soccer

The Games defending soccer champion Thailand was held to a scoreless draw by Vietnam in their Group A match on Thursday. The tough match saw three yellow cards for Thailand and two for Vietnam.

Laos and Myanmar's Group A match on Thursday also ended in a scoreless draw.

Meanwhile, Indonesian soccer coach Bernhard Schumm promised his squad would display an attacking game against Singapore in their Group B match at Berakas Sports Stadium on Friday.

"Both Indonesia and Singapore stand an equal chance to win the match if they opt for an open match. But we can benefit from (an open match) because we have a well-coordinated team up front," he said.

The German coach said he would likely start strikers Widodo C. Putro and Rocky Puttiray to lead Indonesia's charge.

Schumm said his team had to be aware of Singapore midfielder Nazri Mohd. Nasir, left winger Samawira Basri and striker Indra Sahdan Daud.

A draw will be enough to assure Indonesia of a semifinal berth, but Schumm is looking for a victory. "We are seeking a victory to reach the semifinals as the group winner."

Even if Indonesia loses to Singapore, it can still reach the semifinals with a victory over Brunei in its last group match on Monday.