Missing athletes to be dropped from SEAG training program

JAKARTA (JP): The SEA Games national training director Djoko Pramono and three sports organizations will approach 10 athletes who have refused to join the centralized training program.

If the athletes concerned still refuse to join, the National Sports Council will exclude them from the national squad.

"We can't just rely on one person although he or she may be a potential gold-medal winner. We won't sacrifice the whole system just for one athlete," Djoko said during a breaking of the fast gathering Thursday.

Djoko plans to call the Indonesian Table Tennis Association, the Indonesian Cycling Association and the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association on Monday to discuss the athletes' intransigence.

"I have called the three associations and hopefully we can solve the problem on Monday," Djoko said.

Some athletes refused to join the program because they would have to leave their study or job to do so.

Djoko said that hopefully the problems would be resolved after Idul Fitri holidays as athletes would then return from their home towns.

A cycling association official Denny Gumulya said that only three of the 50 selected athletes have not joined the program due to their work commitments. They are TB Maulana, Hengky Setiawan and Herry Janto Setiawan.

Six cyclists are to leave for Malaysia tomorrow to take part in a tour of the island state of Langkawi. They are Teguh, Tonton Suprapto, M Basri, M Handy, Nunung and Chrisyanto.

The association also plans to send its cyclists on an overseas stint in the Philippines and an Asia Cycling championship in Teheran, Iran.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's 1990 Asian Games gold medalist Pino Bahari has submitted a letter to the Indonesian Boxing Association stating his intention to retire.

Secretary-General Didiet Soedijoto said that Pino wanted to concentrate on his future without explaining what that might be.

Antara reported that Pino's brother, Nemo Bahari, had already retired to become a priest in Cianjur, West Java.

The association's chairman Paul Toding said that the organization will not ask Pino to return to boxing.

"It's not a problem anymore. We don't want to coach boxers who are not totally devoted to the sport," he said.

Didiet said that the association cannot focus its attention on individuals.

"All boxers will be treated equally so they can have the same chance of winning international tournaments," he said. (yan)