KONI chapters confused about decentralized training
JAKARTA (JP): Despite uncertainties about budget and responsibilities of the decentralized training centers for the Kuala Lumpur 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, provincial chapters of the National Sports Council (KONI) claimed on Tuesday they were up to the task.
Interviewed separately on the sidelines of KONI's three-day national congress in Senayan, Central Jakarta, officials of three provincial chapters said they had requested their provincial councils to fund the training centers while being uncertain of how to spend the budget.
"We are requesting some Rp 4 billion (US$423,000) from the provincial council to finance the training programs of six sports in Surabaya," East Java's secretary general Eddy Indraya told reporters.
"East Java is proposing to hold the training for archery, athletics, cycling, karate, table tennis, and wushu."
Similarly, Central Java's official responsible for athletes' development, Sukahar, said the provincial chapter had proposed a budget to finance the decentralized training program.
"Central Java is interested to hold the training for archery, athletics, sepak takraw, swimming, taekwondo, and wushu," he said.
"We need some Rp 1 billion to run the training from our provincial budget. The provincial administration and council are still working to find possible sources of money," he added.
However, both chapters were not sure how to spend the budget as there are two different views on supporting the athletes and expenses of the decentralized training.
The first view is for a province to finance only its own athletes wherever they train without responsibility for athletes from other provinces being trained in the province.
On the other hand, the second option is a province will finance all athletes being trained in the province with no responsibility for its athletes training in other provinces.
"West Java's chapter has proposed some Rp 2.5 billion to finance seven sports -- athletics, cycling, fencing, judo, rowing, taekwondo, and tennis -- which would also cover athletes from other provinces," said deputy chairman for athletes' development Rusli Luthan.
"The problem is whether other provinces are willing to finance our athletes being trained there. There will be more discussions on Wednesday on to resolve the two approaches," he added.
Three provinces also proposed to stage the decentralized training centers: Bali for wind surfing; Jakarta for athletics, basketball, billiard, golf, gymnastics, shooting, squash and swimming; and Lampung for weightlifting.
Meanwhile, nine sports organizations decided to directly control their own centralized training centers instead of participating in decentralized ones because of their uniqueness or for technical reasons. The sports are badminton, bowling, boxing, equestrian, hockey, pencak silat, sailing, soccer and volleyball.
The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina), for example, stated earlier that it would have difficulty providing coaches and sparring partners at decentralized training centers.
"We only have limited numbers of coaches to supervise all of the boxers ... so, we decided to stage the training center in Ragunan, South Jakarta," Pertina's deputy secretary general Didit Soedijoto told reporters last month. (nvn)