Indonesia to host Southeast Asia Fencing Championships

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will host the fifth Southeast Asia Fencing Federation (SEAFF) championships from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 at state-owned Universitas Negeri Surabaya's sports hall.

Indonesian Fencing Association (Ikasi) secretary-general Surjono said on Monday that ten events would be featured at the championships in Surabaya, which had been delayed for two years.

He said the events would be men's and women's teams and individual foil, men's and women's teams and individual epee and men's team and individual sabre.

"Indonesia is fielding 20 junior fencers from 26 provinces. We have set a policy to allow young fencers to compete in regional events in order to increase their experience and to encourage regeneration," he said.

Surjono said senior fencers might skip the championships as they were preparing for the 15th National Games, which will also take place in Surabaya in June.

He said that Ikasi targeted the fencers to win the Widarsa Cup in this championship.

"Filipino fencers are now holding the Cup after being the overall champion in the fourth SEAFF championship," he said.

Indonesia only brought home one silver in the fourth championship, which was held in Bangkok.

Surjono said three of five fencing associations in Southeast Asia, excluding host Indonesia, had registered their fencers.

"Malaysia are fielding 20 fencers, Brunei Darussalam 11 men's fencers and Singapore five women's fencers. The Philippines and Thailand have yet to register."

The championships should have taken place in Jakarta in 1998 but it was canceled due to security reasons. The capital was hit by riots in May which forced former president Soeharto to step down. The situation made other participating countries to decline to compete here.

Ikasi chairman H.M. Widarsadipradja, who is also the SEAFF president, wants fencing to be performed periodically at the regional level.

"Southeast Asia fencers' skills are far below their colleagues from Asia and other continents, especially Europe. The SEAFF championships are expected to serve as a milestone before those fencers can compete in the Asian or even world championships," Surjono said.

He said that no Southeast Asian fencers won medals in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. (ivy)