National jumpers told to become achievers

National jumpers told to become achievers

JAKARTA (JP): Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono
Isman urged national skydivers to improve the country's
achievements in international events.

"We hope our skydivers can do the same as our shuttlers who
achieved world ranking," Hayono told participants of the Six
World Parachuting Championships on Canopy Formation at Lido Lake
Resort, Bogor, West Java, on Friday.

Hayono urged the national team to produce a better record in
the championships, to help make the event a success for
Indonesia.

"The national teams should set a specific target in the
championships, not just take part. It will be useless if we can
only be a host without producing a better record," he said as
quoted by Antara.

Vice Marshall Purnomo Sidhi, chairman of the organizing
committee, said that 18 countries have confirmed their
participation in the 10-day championships due to wind up on June
24.

Delegations from South Africa, the United States of America,
Australia, China, the Netherlands, Finland, England, Italy,
Germany, Canada, Malaysia, France, Russia, New Zealand,
Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey and host Indonesia will compete in
three categories: four-way canopy rotation, four-way sequential
and eight-way speed formation.

"There are 216 skydivers, 136 of them are foreigners," he
said.

Indonesia is represented by the Aves Club from Bandung, West
Java, the Army and Air Force special forces. The Army's special
forces team, which will compete in four-way canopy rotation, was
the winner in the Malaysia Open championships last month.

Participants start competing today until June 24, before they
go to Central Java for a series of bogey jumps at the Borobudur
and Prambanan temples. (yan)