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did not seem to be impressed by Steve's argument, given the fact that the list of bodybuilders had been drawn from "out-of-date" 1997 data.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.