KONI suggests Olympics athletes train in Sydney
KONI suggests Olympics athletes train in Sydney
JAKARTA (JP): Secretary-general of the National Sports Council
(KONI) Rudolf S. Warouw proposed on Thursday that the women
archers and the windsurfer who are being groomed for the 2000
Olympic Games should train in Sydney.
Warouw said that such would allow the athletes to the climatic
condition in Sydney in advance of the Olympic Games this fall.
"But we will ask their coaches before making the decision. If
the athletes could benefit from training in Sydney, why don't we
just send them there for two or three months? They could make a
fine adjustment," he said, adding that the archery field was
located close to the beach.
He said that KONI would pay for the overseas training. He also
said that, in order to save money, the athletes could stay at the
residences of any Indonesian nationals living in Australia.
"Indonesian citizens living in Australia are willing to lend a
hand. It could help reduce our spending," he said.
Indonesia has qualified two women's archers and a windsurfer
to the quadrennial event. Archers Hamdiah, Nurfitriyana Lantang
and their teammate Lusia Elizabeth, and national windsurfer Oka
Sulaksana will train in preparation for the Olympics in a program
beginning on Feb. 1 in Jakarta.
Separately, a member of the council at the Indonesian Yachting
and Windsurfing Association (Porlasi), Indra Kartasasmita,
supported Warouw's idea, saying that Oka would need about six
months to adjust to Australian conditions prior to the
competition.
"He should adjust himself to the changing of wind direction,
its strength, and the rise and fall of the tides. But he needs
adversaries to help him maintain his competitiveness," he said.
"Besides, Oka should learn to surf under the soft wind. He is
good in surfing under the strong winds, but in my opinion, the
wind in Sydney is quite mild," he added.
Indra also said that Porlasi had yet to decide whether it
would hire world-class windsurfing coach Amith Inbar of Israel to
train Oka for the Olympics. He said that Inbar had asked for
US$1,500 (Rp 10.8 million) as weekly compensation.
"Oka needs a foreign coach who can help judge his
performances, and can be freshly objective about Oka's
weaknesses," he said.
Indra also suggested that Oka perform in the 15th National
Games (PON) in Surabaya, East Java, in June, as part of his
Olympics training preparation because the winds there in
Situbondo are quite similar with those of Sydney.
"But he can choose to compete overseas if he gets financial
support," he said. (ivy)