KONI to offer help to sports organizations

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) research and development division is offering assistance to colleagues in sports organizations to improve national athletes' performances.

The KONI official in charge of research and development, Imam Suyudi, said: "We do not intervene in sports organizations' internal affairs. We try to be proactive. We will offer ourselves to certain sports organizations, particularly badminton, which is preparing shuttlers for the 2000 Olympic Games."

He said KONI was anxious after observing the shuttlers' poor performances over the past few years.

"In the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, we managed to earn two golds. But four years later in Atlanta, we only earned one. KONI is disappointed to see the drop in results so we will discuss the matter with the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)," he said.

Indonesian shuttlers' poor form in regional and international tournaments this year have worried sports officials in KONI and in PBSI.

The poor result in the US$120,000 V6 Danish Open in Vejle, Denmark forced PBSI to reconsider its targets for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Imam explained a good training method was not enough to produce good athletes.

"There should be a good relationship between athletes and coaches," he said, adding that his team would help coaches to find and solve problems suffered by athletes after their poor performance.

"We don't need coaches to ask us for help. We will act according to the situation. We will assist the coach," he said.

KONI has prioritized badminton, tae kwon do, archery, boxing, weightlifting and beach volleyball in its Golden Garuda project for the Olympics.

Training

Separately, the KONI deputy official in charge of planning and budget, Sudharno, said he allocated some Rp 740 million (US$93,671) to finance KONI's program to start its centralized training center as preparation for the Olympics.

"We have worked together with KONI's training center on how to spend the money. I have proposed to give athletes allowances before they join the centralized training center," he said.

Sudharno said the money would be used for, among other things, sending three canoeists to compete in the pre-Olympics qualifying event in Japan and national windsurfer Oka Sulaksana to compete in the Olympics prequalifying competition in Noumea, New Caledonia from Nov. 10 to Nov. 20.

Sudharno said the budget was set aside from KONI's annual routine budget for athletes development.

The routine budget, worth between Rp 6 billion and Rp 8 billion, is provided by the government through the state budget.

KONI has proposed Rp 124 billion to the office of the state minister of youth affairs and sports to finance athletes' preparation for three major events -- the Olympics, the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur and the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea.

KONI estimates it will need Rp 6.9 billion to train athletes for the Olympics in the centralized training program to start in February. The council plans to send 66 athletes from archery, badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, rowing and canoeing, swimming and diving, tae kwon do, track and field, weightlifting and windsurfing. (ivy)