Ministry unveils plan to nurture young talent
Ministry unveils plan to nurture young talent
CIANJUR, West Java (JP): The Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports yesterday unveiled a new initiative in its painstaking
effort to nurture national talent by setting up branch offices in
the country's 27 provinces.
Minister Hayono Isman said in a seminar held by the National
Sports Council that he will consult the Ministry of Home Affairs
to realize the plan, which is expected to start next year.
"The offices will be authorized to supervise sports
development, especially sport facilities, in their respective
provinces," Hayono said.
Jakarta and North Sulawesi are the only two provinces to have
sports offices. "Now Central Java and Irian Jaya have thrown
their weight fully behind the idea," said Hayono.
He suggested that the new offices cooperate with their
counterparts from the Ministry of Education and Culture in
mobilizing more students to participate in sports.
So far the Ministry of Education and Culture has taken the
jobs solely, but failed to create a conducive atmosphere for the
burgeoning young talent, Hayono said.
"We rule the badminton world, but ironically we don't have a
student competition on home soil," he said.
The situation, he continued, is quite different from Russia,
where all students are interested in learning chess, or the
United States, where children have a regular basketball
tournament.
"Maybe we should hold a prestigious badminton championship for
students with the President himself presenting the trophy,"
Hayono said.
As a pilot project, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
will introduce pentathlon and triathlon competitions for
elementary and junior high school students in Manado, North
Sulawesi, next June.
Sports centers
Hayono insisted that schools should teach students basic
sports such as track and field, gymnastics and swimming. Other
sports, like badminton or soccer, are secondary as far as the
schools' ability to provide facilities.
"We will probably need a ministerial decree to justify the
teaching of priority sports in schools," he said.
Meanwhile, Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar said in his written
speech that the sports council should apply a multi-polar sports
development program by maximizing the potency of each province.
"The setting up of sport centers throughout this country is
based on the historical values of the respective areas, their
achievements in the National Games and the available science and
technology," Siregar said.
Citing examples, he said that boxing centers could be built in
North Sumatra, Bali, Maluku and Irian Jaya, recently the
outstanding boxing powerhouses in the country.
Science and technology play their role in recommending sports
that fit people with certain biological, psychological and
environmental aptitudes.
Siregar said that such a big plan needs supporting measures:
an improved management system, a long-term training program,
talent scouting, better facilities, a competition program, the
development of science and technology, a sports census and
improved supervision.
"It has been a long time coming, but we have never even tried
to make it come true. It's up to the council how to imply the
idea," he said. (05)