Jakarta to hast rock climbing meet
Jakarta to hast rock climbing meet
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will host the 5th Asian Rock Climbing Indoor Championships scheduled here in mid-November.
Chairman of the Indonesian Rock Climbing Federation Setiawan Djodi said on Wednesday that Japan, South Korea, China, Chinese Taipei, Australia, India, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia and Singapore will be among the participating countries.
The championships will be held in one of the many sports halls in Senayan. Harry Sulistiarto, a federation official told The Jakarta Post yesterday that "Istora Senayan has offered to accommodate the championships but the tennis indoor stadium is also another possible alternative."
Harry said the championships have to be staged indoors so the participants won't have to risk possible wet November weather.
The rock used for climbing will be artificial rock measuring at least 15 meters in length and four meters in width. Scoring by four judges will be based on degree of difficulty, speed and movements.
Harry said top Indonesian climbers will not automatically be fielded in the championships. They must first prove themselves at the 14th National Games in September where rock climbing will be featured as an exhibition event.
"Those finishing first to sixth in each gender at the National Games deserve to take part in the Asian championships," Harry said.
As host, Indonesia is entitled to field six climbers in each gender in the championships while the other participating countries are entitled to only three.
National climbers with the best performances in the November championships will have a chance to represent Indonesia to the World Cup rock climbing series in December in Rumania.
Indonesian climbers made their first outing in an Asia-Oceania rock climbing championships in Canberra, Australia in 1991 where two of them, Aan and Deden, managed to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
In the first Asian rock climbing championships in Seoul in 1992, Ronald Mamaringgi finished fifth. Ronald's best performance was at the championships in China one year later where he finished second.
The Indonesian Rock Climbing Federation was set up in Apr. 21, 1988. It was accepted as a member of the National Sports Council on Jan. 8, 1994. The Federation's administration, however, has just been formally installed by the council's chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar, last Wednesday. Setiawan Djodi was unanimously elected the federation's chairman in 1994 after financially rescuing the federation which was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1993. (arf)