Jakarta widens gap in PON medal tally
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)