Lack of new athletes costs Indonesian sports dearly

Lack of new athletes costs Indonesian sports dearly

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Richard Sam Bera and Jonathan Sianturi come from different
sports. The former is a swimmer, while the latter is a gymnast.

But both have something in common as regards their roles in
national sport.

Both 31, they were the backbones and appeared to be the sole
fighters in their respective sports at the recent 2002 Asian
Games in Busan, South Korea.

Richard and Jonathan have become the icons of national sport
in their respective fields given their achievements at the
regional-level multi-event sporting showcase: the Southeast Asian
(SEA) Games.

Richard has won one or more golds in every SEA Games he has
participated in since 1989, as has Jonathan since 1987.

They came to the 2002 Asian Games in Busan on the back of
their latest winning streaks in the 2001 SEA Games where they
contributed two gold medals each in their respective disciplines.

However, at the 2002 Asian Games against the likes of China,
South Korea and Japan, which have earned themselves worldwide
reputations, Jonathan and Richard proved to be no match.

In track and field, Indonesia sent only three athletes only to
come home empty handed. This was in stark contrast to the 1998
edition of the games where the team could still boast a gold
medal through now-retired Supriati Sutono in the 5,000 meters.

Indonesia, which used to be the dominant force in the
Southeast Asia region, seems now to have been demoted to the
second rank behind Thailand and Malaysia.

The flops in the 1999 and 2001 SEA Games was a sign that
Indonesia no longer has athletes who are up to the challenge.

The National Sports Council (KONI) and the sports
organizations have always defended themselves, saying it is the
monetary crisis, which has haunted the country since 1997, that
has brought about the slump in the SEA Games.

There is some truth to this as lack of financial support has
caused difficulties in finding quality coaches, sending athletes
to overseas tournaments and providing the athletes with
sufficient training facilities.

However, the most fundamental problem is that there has been
inconsistencies in sports development, especially as regards
regeneration.

KONI, which is supposed to be responsible for national sports
development in general, has adopted a wrong approach to preparing
for multi-event competitions like the SEA Games.

Its misguided approach is clearly shown by its reluctance to
promote young athletes. This has meant that there are a lack of
new faces who are ready to follow on when their seniors have
called it a day.

KONI has always been too ambitious in its medal-winning goals,
forcing its affiliated sports organizations to deploy as many
seniors as possible, thereby shutting out the juniors from any
opportunity to test their skills.

These juniors need an opportunity to upgrade their skills so
that they will be ready when the time comes for them to take over
from their seniors.

Before 1999, Indonesia had been a formidable competitor at
almost every SEA Games, except for 1985 and 1995 when Thailand
was the host.

But it appears that the country's success then only served to
satisfy a short-lived craving for instant glory without any heed
being paid to the issue of regeneration.

It is not only athletics, swimming and gymnastics that have
been affected, but rather almost all fields of sporting endeavor
that have experienced regression.

Ironically, KONI's approach contradicts the spirit of its
nationwide sporting campaign known as the Garuda Emas (Golden
Garuda) project.

The Garuda Emas project, which was first mooted a decade ago,
is supposed to guide KONI in producing athletes who are ready to
compete in any tournament, with the eventual goal being to get
into the top six at the 2006 Asian Games.

One of the items stipulated in the Garuda Emas project
concerns the golden age for athletes in each sporting discipline.

For instance, a swimmer will reach peak performance between 16
and 18, a gymnast between 18 and 24 and a track and field athlete
between 18 and 23.

In the case of Richard and Jonathan, there places should have
already been taken by younger athletes. The absence of young
athletes who are ready to take over, however, has forced KONI to
resort to its existing resources.

It appears that the Garuda Emas project has broken down due to
the lack of government support.

Through the Ministry of National Education, the government
should be able to mobilize a sports campaign through the schools
so as to set up more sports training centers for junior high
school and senior high school students. Such training centers are
known by their Indonesian acronym as PPLP.

In addition to the number of PPLPs still being deficient, the
program does not provide for continuity at the higher-education
level. It was only in 2001 that college sports centers were
established in two universities, one each in Central Java and
East Java.

There is also little encouragement for the establishment of
clubs, which are supposed to be the providers of potential
athletes.

Given the outcomes of the last two Asian Games, which saw a
regressive trend on the part of the Indonesian contingent, KONI
should abandon its high hopes for the 2006 Asian Games, at which
it wants a place in the top six among Asian nations as stipulated
in the Garuda Emas project.

KONI would be better off redirecting itself to focus more on
the Garuda Emas project so that Indonesian sports can recover
over the next few years.

The year 2003 could be a good opportunity for evaluating the
past and redesigning the future when KONI convenes in February to
elect a new chairman.