Martial artist dies following bout

JAKARTA (JP): A North Sulawesi pencaksilat martial artist died of a brain hemorrhage after sustaining a head injury in his semifinal bout at the National Student Games in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

Spokesman for the East Kalimantan authorities Haritsah Ratman was quoted by Antara as saying on Friday that Kisman Halungi Wowontulap was rushed to hospital for surgery to remove the blood clot but to no avail.

The 20-year-old athlete died on Thursday at 6:25 p.m. local time, an hour after he was knocked down by I Made Suparwa of Bali. He suffered a bruised head in the fall and lost consciousness.

It was a rare accident in the Indonesian traditional martial art, but Kompas daily reported that the mattress used in the tournament did not meet security standards. It also said that Kisman had also been knocked down in his first round fight but got up to win.

State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Agung Laksono, Minister of Education and Culture Juwono Sudarsono, Governor Suwarna AF and National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar expressed their condolences over Kisman's death. (amd)