KONI speeds up selection process

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)