KONI gets Rp 1.6b for Olympic Games

KONI gets Rp 1.6b for Olympic Games

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) received Rp 1.6 billion (US$711,000) yesterday from Citibank to finance the Indonesian team's preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA.

The donation was the first ever given by a foreign company for Indonesia's Olympics-bound squad.

KONI chairman, Wismoyo Arismunandar, said after signing the sponsorship agreement with Enny Hardjanto, Jakarta associate's vice president of the New York-based bank, that the gesture is "a sign of friendship between the United States and Indonesia".

"Even the U.S. wants to help our sports development. I should underline that no local banks have offered such help to KONI," Wismoyo said.

Enny also offered yesterday apprenticeship programs to Indonesian athletes. "We hope the programs could be useful to them if they are no longer in sports," she said.

Marketing Director of the International Olympic Committee, Michael Payne, commented that the signing with Citibank proved that KONI is successful in its marketing campaign.

Payne gave a lecture on tips on involving the business community in sports and securing funds from them.

KONI used to rely heavily on state lottery SDSB for funds, particularly to finance its participation at various sports events such as Asian Games and SEA Games. After the lottery's stoppage in 1993, KONI turned to prominent businessmen for financial aid.

For the upcoming 18th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, for instance, KONI secured Rp 18 billion from the country's top business tycoons.

Arie Sudewo, one of Wismoyo's deputies, told The Jakarta Post that KONI has yet to set a budget for the Atlanta Olympic Games. "It depends on the number of athletes who qualify for the Olympics," he said.

He said that the sum could be far lower than the SEA Games funds of Rp 18 billion. Given the demanding competitions en route to the Olympics, Indonesian Olympic contingent will be far smaller than its SEA Games squad.

So far, three Indonesian archers and boxer Nemo Bahari have secured places in the Summer Games. Indonesia also looks set to win eight places in five events at the Olympics badminton competition. (arf)