Jakarta widens gap in PON medal tally
JAKARTA (JP): The 14th National Games end today. But the yawning gap between Jakarta and the country's 26 other provinces looks set to continue.
By Wednesday, Jakarta had 118 gold medals while the runners-up West and East Java had 65 and 61 respectively. Three years ago, in the 1993 Games, the figures were 99, 71, 52. In 1989, they were 107, 74, 51. And in 1985 they were 153, 85, 66.
Why?
National Sports Council vice chairman Arie Sudewo said that poor facilities, the exodus of top-notch or promising athletes from other provinces to Jakarta and an inability to set priorities explain the huge gap.
Sports facilities in the other provinces are generally sub- standard. For instance, Jakarta is the only province in Indonesia which has a synthetic track.
"The availability of modern sports facilities is very important, if not crucial, to an athlete's performance," Arie said.
The exodus of top athletes from the other provinces is also responsible. However, neither Jakarta nor the migrating athletes can be blamed, Arie said. It is normal for athletes to prefer a place where they can earn more and have a better future. And it is perfectly reasonable to choose Jakarta because many opportunities await them there.
National Games organizing committee secretary-general Eddy Widodo, however, said that while what Arie said concerning the exodus was true, there was a reverse trend, too.
"With a marked difference between the two opposite trends," Widodo said, "While the first usually enhances performances, the latter does the opposite."
Purnama Pandiangan is a case in point. He was a top Jakartan archer before moving to Lampung. "After his move, has he been able to perform better than when he was still a Jakartan?" Widodo asked.
Strengths
Widodo, who has been with the committee in various capacities since 1973, said athletes who migrate to Jakarta usually improve.
Widodo added that playing host to the Games, as Jakarta has done since the 8th National Games in 1973, was an advantage which enabled Jakarta athletes to perform better because they are familiar with all the Games' sports facilities.
Arie said the provinces have trouble setting priorities. It is a general tendency among provinces to take part in all the sports events featured in the Games without much deliberation on their chances.
If they concentrate on their strengths, they perform better. Jambi's gold medals come mostly from swimming, and Lampung's from weight-lifting and power-lifting, he said.
Meanwhile, sports observer Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar blamed poor training for a dearth of new national records during the 12- day sports extravaganza.
"What do the sports governing bodies in each provinces do then? Do they really strive to boost their athletes' performance or are they just hibernating?" he said. (arf)