KONI guns for better funding, infrastructure

Moch. N. Kurniawan The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The National Sport Council (KONI) conceded to yet another grim fact of the sports scene, with KONI chairman Agum Gumelar pointing to lack of funds and infrastructure as contributing to poor performance.

In a self-evaluation gathering with the media on Sunday, Agum said the two prolonged problems had affected athletes' performance in multi-event competitions.

Indonesia ended up in third place behind host nation Vietnam and Thailand last December's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. It was the third time Indonesia, once the dominant force in the region, has finished third in the biennial sporting showcase.

In the 2004 Athens Olympics in August, Indonesia won only a gold, a silver and two bronzes, continuing the declining trend in the country's medal collection. The Indonesian delegation fared only slightly better in the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a gold, three silvers and two bronzes.

The year's sporting woes sank further with the nation's failure to retain the Thomas Cup, the prestigious men's badminton world championship.

Agum cautioned about further disappointments unless the government acted immediately to provide adequate sports facilities, the lack of which had discouraged people from taking up the field professionally.

"In comparison, people have easy access to sports venues in Singapore ... but (here), people have to be content with exercising on the street," he said.

Agum hoped that regional administrations had a will to build sports venues, toward which a cooperation with local businessmen might be promising.

Funding has long been a chronic issue for KONI, particularly in preparing for multi-event tournaments like the SEA Games, the Asian Games and the Olympics.

With the government providing only meager support, KONI usually turns to corporate sponsorship for major tournaments.

For the 2005 SEA Games in Manila, KONI must raise about Rp 70 billion.