National Olympic team to meet Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto is to receive the Indonesian Olympic team at the State Palace on July 5, three days before it leaves for the world's biggest sporting meet in Atlanta.

A special meeting with Soeharto has been a traditional privilege for Indonesian athletes who take part in an international multi-event sporting extravaganza such as the Olympics, the Asian Games or the Southeast Asian Games.

Subardi Suar, the Indonesian team's project officer and the contingent's chief of mission, said yesterday that the national Olympic contingent will comprise 39 athletes and 22 officials.

Indonesia will participate in badminton, archery, tennis, table tennis, track and field, weight lifting, swimming, boxing, beach volleyball and windsurfing.

On July 4, the Olympians, except for those who have already left the country, will gather at the National Sports Council's headquarters for a confidence boosting meditation session led by the council's chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar.

Indonesia's boxers, beach spikers and lone swimmer will miss the program because of their overseas programs.

The pugilists will join the contingent in Atlanta from their warmup event in Cuba and the beach volleyball team will arrive from France.

Indonesia's only swimmer, 200m-freestyler Richard Sam Bera, will join the team from his training base in California.

The badminton and tennis teams will be the last to leave the country. The 20-strong badminton squad will depart on July 17 and the two women's tennis players will leave the country on July 15, two days after their Fed Cup match against Switzerland.

Subardi was quoted by Antara as saying that an advance team, comprising Jotje Gosal and Iwan Setiawan, will fly to Atlanta on July 6 to observe each venues to be used in competitions which involve Indonesians.

Indonesia has vowed to retain the two gold medals won by badminton players Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. (yan)