KONI stalls over bodybuilding candidates for 2002 Asian Games
KONI stalls over bodybuilding candidates for 2002 Asian Games
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Sports Council (KONI) has refused to endorse a list
of eight bodybuilding candidates for the 2002 Asian games,
pending a selection process in line with the procedures.
The eight have been proposed by PABBSI, a KONI-affiliated body
that supervises weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding.
However, their names remain undisclosed.
"We can't accept them yet until after the national
bodybuilding championship," training director for the Asian Games
Imron Z.S. told reporters after a post-Idul Fitri gathering at
KONI's headquarters on Friday.
The postponement over the bodybuilders revealed another snag
in KONI-PABBSI relations, following the recent decision by KONI
to drop four weightlifters proposed by PABBSI from its top
priority list.
Meanwhile, Steve Tengko, a PABBSI official, hinted that the
championship, which would be held on Feb. 8, would be a mere
formality for the proposed eight.
"Ade Rai and Wempi Wungo are difficult to beat," said Steve,
who, when interviewed later in the day, referred to the two
bodybuilding aces.
"The qualifying tournament will not relegate them from the
list," he told The Jakarta Post by phone.
"They are all the best in their respective classes and have
earned themselves wins from one tournament to another," he added.
Steve, who is in charge of athlete development affairs,
refused to identify the other six, leaving it to KONI.
However, Imron did not seem to be impressed by Steve's
argument, given the fact that the list of bodybuilders had been
drawn from "out-of-date" 1997 data.
Commenting that KONI would send only those athletes with medal
prospects, he said: "I doubt if the data is still valid".
"KONI will rely only on the results at the upcoming national
championship. It is the fairest way of selecting the athletes.
There may emerge new candidates who are stronger than they. Who
knows?" he said.
Imron also referred to the criteria KONI had already outlined
in assessing the eligibility of athletes from the Indonesian
delegation for the South Korean trip.
Given the fact that bodybuilding did not feature at the recent
Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, the bodybuilders have
obviously fallen short of meeting the criteria that an athlete,
in search of a slot in the team, should be a SEA Games finalist.
"Bodybuilding (athletes) have failed to meet the parameter,"
Imron said.