KONI speeds up selection process

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) has decided to speed up the selection of the Indonesian athletes competing for the 12th Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan next October.

"We have moved the deadline to Aug. 12 from September," said Sutardiono, KONI's training division chief.

He was quoted by Antara on Monday as saying that KONI plans to end the selection process by the end of this month or by the first week of August.

The new schedule is consistent with the decision passed by the meeting of the delegation heads of the next Asiad, last week in Hiroshima, Sutardiono said.

Indonesia plans to send 150 athletes to take part in 15 sports at Asia's greatest sporting extravaganza.

Sutardiono acknowledged that there are already 20 sports which have been nominated to participate in the Asiad.

The official, however, refused to cite which events have gotten KONI's green-light so far.

"I can only say that tennis and badminton will go to Hiroshima, the rest will just have to wait," he said.

He also stressed that financial constraints will also force sports officials to carefully select the number of athletes.

"We are still about Rp 2.6 billion (US$1.2 million) away from the total Rp 6 billion that we will need to take part in the Asian Games," he said.

The government had only allocated about Rp 3 billion for the entire Asiad budget.

Sutardiono also said that KONI had assigned its officials, including Soesilo Soedarman, the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, and Bob Hasan, the plywood baron who is patron of the country's track and field program, to try and rustle up some more funding. (hdj)