Karate body irked by new rival
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Karate-Do Federation (Forki) has warned the National Sports Council (KONI) against recognizing the former's rival, the FKTI, as one of the council-affiliated sporting organizations.
FKTI is the Indonesian Traditional Karate-Do Federation, which an official of Forki claimed had been founded to undermine Forki.
"Karate should be governed by only one body as stipulated in KONI statutes," G.A. Pesik, an official of Forki, told reporters here on Wednesday.
He was asked to comment following Forki's protest letter to KONI on the same day.
Signed by chairman Luhut Pandjaitan, Forki questioned the council's policy to send a KONI representative to a tournament organized by FKTI here on Jan. 24.
The letter, the copies of which were available to media, cited that KONI's move would create problems.
Kusnan Ismukanto, KONI's representative at the competition, was quoted as saying that FKTI had an opportunity to become a member of KONI, a statement which Forki claimed was a violation of KONI statutes.
"It should be known that besides it has chapters in 30 provinces, Forki is also an umbrella of 25 karate organizations. There is no organization we recognize that are named FKTI," said Forki in the letter.
"FKTI was founded by several former board members of INKAI who have detached themselves from the current board of INKAI under current chairman Ryamizard Ryacudu," it said.
INKAI is one of Forki's 25 affiliates.
Pesik said that even the International Olympic Council only recognized World Karate-Do Federation (WKF), to which Forki is affiliated, as the sole governing body of karate in the world.
Meanwhile, when contacted by The Jakarta Post, Kusnan admitted to having commented in favor of the likely membership of FKTI in KONI but said that his statement had been quoted out of context.
"The statement did not stop there. The rest (of the sentence) followed," he said.
However, he did not further explain his unfinished statement, adding that he would discuss the matter with KONI's other officials.
However, he said that he would recommend the issue to be resolved within the parameters of KONI statutes.