Indonesia's Asiad attendance 'need review'
JAKARTA (JP): The deepening financial crisis should prod the National Sports Council (KONI) to consider sending a small team to the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in December, former secretary- general of the council Kahpi Suriadiredja said yesterday.
He said the council's plan to send a big team to compete in 21 sports in the quadrennial event was unrealistic because it would be unable to cover daily expenses of athletes during their stay in Bangkok.
"Having a lot of people in a team will only lay heavy financial burdens. It will not be that easy to provide the athletes with meals three times a day," said the retired Marine lieutenant general.
"We can send a big team only if we have enough money. If not, just don't push ourselves too hard."
Kahpi, who held his tenure from 1990 to 1995, suggested that the council should pare down its team to athletes from six sports Indonesia has good medal-winning chances. The shortlist of sports included badminton, weightlifting and tennis, according to him.
The sports council announced in February that Indonesia planned to select about 150 athletes who would represent it in 21 events in the Asian Games.
But with most sports organizations blaming financial shortages for long delays in getting their respective training programs started, the council's deputy chairman Arie Sudewo pondered recently a major downsizing of the team.
Kahpi also criticized national athletes for their lack of professionalism.
"Most of them only love to win, instead of playing well, practicing hard and applying self-discipline."
Gregarious Kahfi suggested a way out of the specter of oblivion in sports by raising funds for sports activities from casinos and other gambling sources.
He said the government formerly allowed gambling in the country when then minister of social services Haryati Soebadio issued a decree to legalize the Sumbangan Dana Sosial Berhadiah (SDSB) national lottery in 1988.
The fund collected from SDSB, literally translated as "philanthropic donation with prizes" was earmarked to used largely to finance sporting and social activities in the country.
Kahfi proposed a gambling center on a designated island which would be controlled and run by the government. The Morotai island chain in north Maluku is an option, he said.
He said it would be better for the government to allow certain gambling arenas to open so that people would not organize illicit gambling dens or travel to gambling venues outside the country.
"Who gets the benefit from cruise ships and fleeing gamblers to Las Vegas or Genting Highlands?" he said. (emf)