KONI told to learn from setback
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday urged the National Sports Council (KONI) to undertake a self-examination following Indonesia's below-target showing in the Atlanta Olympic Games.
State Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman quoted Soeharto as suggesting yesterday that the sports council find out the causes of the modest outcome and draw up viable plans to ensure the country does better in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Indonesia, fielding a 41-strong Olympic team figuring in 11 sports, finished 41st in the Atlanta medal table, with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. All came from badminton, the country's most popular sport.
Four years ago in Barcelona, it was placed 24th with two golds, two silvers and one bronze, also from badminton.
"I'm sorry about the national team's failure to maintain its 1992 performance," Hayono said.
The president was also concerned about the badminton flop in the Olympics, saying that such a feat was an anticlimax after Indonesia's double victory in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in May, according to Hayono.
"We should have been done better," Hayono quoted Soeharto as saying.
Indonesia's lone gold medal this year came from its men's doubles team of Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky, the silver from women's singles Mia Audina and the bronzes from badminton queen Susi Susanti and another men's pair of Denny Kantono and Antonius Irianto.
Commenting on the presidential rap over KONI's knuckles, noted sports observer Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar suggested that Indonesia should rely on just three sports in the upcoming Olympics.
"Based on the results from Atlanta, three potential medal winners for the next Olympics are badminton, boxing and weightlifting," the former KONI secretary-general told The Jakarta Post.
Earlier this year, the president had asked the council to send only potential medal winners from four sports: badminton, archery, boxing and tennis.
Badminton
Siregar first opted to focus on badminton, the country's best hope in the Olympics, saying that the Badminton Association of Indonesia should start scouting new talent in the men's and women's singles, women's and mixed doubles.
Siregar, the former training director of the association, said that except for Mia, Indonesia has no more women's shuttlers of an equivalent standard.
"The association has to select young women shuttlers, aged around 18, to be trained at the association's base camp. For men's shuttlers, we need some 21-year-olds," he said.
As for boxing, Siregar said that national fighters need more rigorous physical training sessions. "Our boxers lack physical fitness," he said.
He also stressed the importance of providing the boxers with as many try-outs as possible. Indonesian boxers had competed in only two tournaments in Cuba in the run up to Atlanta.
Siregar predicted that weightlifting could carry Indonesia's torch in the next Olympics. "Since the 1972 Munich Olympics, Indonesian lifters always managed to finish among top 12. It's a good achievement," he said.
The sports observer criticized the Indonesian archery team which dropped its plan to take part in overseas tournaments prior to the Olympics, but said that it deserves another chance to line up in the national Olympic team. (arf/yan)