KONI receives donation of Rp 1.6 billion for Asiad

KONI receives donation of Rp 1.6 billion for Asiad

JAKARTA (JP): After months of waiting the national squad for
Asia's greatest sporting extravaganza has found a helping hand
for its financial shortcomings, although some crucial problems
have yet to be resolved.

A group of five entrepreneurs, who requested anonymity, gave
Rp 1.6 billion (more than US$738,300) in checks to the national
sports governing body (KONI), cutting the deficit of its set
budget for the Games to Rp 1.4 billion ($646.050).

"The generous businessmen even said that they were willing to
donate more," KONI chairman Surono said after an unusual
leadership meeting with his staff yesterday.

Since January, KONI has been pounding the pavement, trying to
find some Rp 3 billion ($1.38 million) needed to send the
national athletes to Hiroshima and cover their daily expenses
during their stay at competitions, which run from Oct. 2 to 16.

The sports body set a total budget of Rp 6.5 billion ($3
million), with more than a half of the amount used to fund the
training sessions and try-outs of the national athletes.

KONI used the left-over funds, worth Rp 2.5 billion ($1.15
million) to finance the national team's preparations for the
Games. These funds were provided by organizers of the now defunct
national lottery SDSB and almost one billion rupiah ($461,500) of
government's subsidies.

Attendants of yesterday's meeting also included Soesilo
Soedarman, Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security, Faisal Abda'oe, President Director of the state-run oil
company Pertamina, Kunarto, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Audit
Agency.

Soesilo and timber baron Mohammad (Bob) Hasan are KONI
officials in charge of collecting the funds.

Surono expressed his guarded optimism that KONI would meet the
budget by the date the national contingent left for the Games.

"A fund raising night is the last alternative," Surono said.
KONI and the National Games organizing committee scooped up more
than Rp 4.0 billion ($1.8 million) during a fund raising party
last year.

Events

Surono also indicated that Indonesia might take part in 16
events at the continent's 12th Games, fielding between 120 and
150 sportsmen and women.

The number of events is higher than the 12 hosted at the 1990
meet in Beijing, but the figure of this year's contingent will
fall to around 200 from 250 four years ago. The Indonesian squad
in 1990 included 138 athletes.

The Hiroshima Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) has
asked the participating countries to drop the number of
"unnecessary" officials due to limited accommodations.

Surono revealed that the sports that Indonesia is now most
likely to take part in are badminton, tennis, archery, boxing,
rowing, track and field, cycling, archery, weightlifting, wind
surfing, shooting, karate, wushu, sepak takraw, equestrian
events, taekwondo, and judo.

KONI will send the entry forms with the names of participating
athletes by next week, but Surono said changes are allowed until
at the end of this month. "Changes will mean a drop," Surono
said.

KONI is currently sorting out which athletes deserve spots on
the national team. It will officially announce the lineup on
Sept. 2. (amd)