Indonesia to host Southeast Asia Fencing Championships

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)