KONI removes another 19 from training camp
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.