KONI removes another 19 from training camp
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Another 19 athletes have been declared ineligible for the 2002 Asian Games and have been removed from the National Training Center, training director Imron Z.S. said here on Friday.
The exits' list, copies of which were made available to the media at the headquarters of the National Sports Council (KONI), shows that the 19 athletes came from 11 sporting disciplines.
"After meeting with the sports' organizations almost every day, we removed the 19 athletes from the training center on Thursday," Imron said.
"Based on the performance during their tryouts both at home and overseas and the assessment of the expected level of competitiveness in their respective events, they would have had little prospect of winning medals in Busan," he said.
Busan, a port city in southern South Korea, is the venue for the 14th Asian Games, which will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14.
The removal was the latest move by KONI in its campaign to make the national contingent as slim and competitive as possible.
The training camp, which commenced early this year, began with 176 games' candidates but now numbers 105. Further cuts are expected in the immediate future as four sports organizations have yet to make their final evaluation of the athletes.
Beach volleyball athletes return from a tour of China on Sunday. Cyclists undergo their final tests next week.
The archery body has earmarked between Aug. 10 and Aug. 13 to perform another test, while the weightlifting association has decided to screen its athletes for the final time on Aug. 12.
While having removed some of the training members, KONI is likely to bring boxer Bara Gomies and pole vaulter Ni Putu Desy Margawati back on board.
"Bara can return to the training 'ship' provided that he makes significant progress during the Cuban outing," Imron said.
Bonyx Saweho is currently the only boxing hopeful after Bara and Willem Papilaya were eliminated. But Bara has been given a last chance now that he is in Cuba.
Regarding pole vaulter Desi, who bounced back from her elimination in June to set a new record at the national athletics championship, Imron said: "Desi has shown she has remarkable fighting spirit. She might already be ordered out of the training camp for the Asian Games, but she proved that she never gave up trying.
"Personally, I would say Desy deserves to win back her place," he said, adding that the decision would be on the hands of training project manager Rudolf Warouw.
Like boxing, the athletics team also has only one member in Yurita Ariyani, who specializes in hammer throw.
KONI will decide the number of athletes for Busan on Aug. 15, the deadline for which the athletes list is required to be faxed to the Busan Asian Games Organizing Committee.
Indonesia brought home six gold medals in Bangkok in 1998 to finish in eleventh place among the 42 participating countries.