Indonesia officialy welcomed in Games village

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.