National sports struggle to survive economic crisis

National sports struggle to survive economic crisis

By Dwiatmanta

JAKARTA (JP): A self-fulfilled medal target at the Asian Games
in Bangkok allowed Indonesian sports to breathe a sigh of relief,
at least for the moment.

Despite the fact that Indonesia's preparations for the
continent's major event were plagued by a hard-hitting recession
and security concerns, national athletes brought home six gold,
10 silver and 11 bronze medals.

An initial proposal suggested that the cash-strapped National
Sports Council (KONI) should take no more than 70 of the most
prospective medal-winning athletes to Bangkok. But as financial
aid poured in, and as the economic strain seemed to lessen, KONI
listed 128 sportsmen and sportswomen for the Games.

Controversy sparked the selection process, with KONI chairman
Wismoyo Arismunandar insisting on allowing the national soccer
and equestrian teams on going only because their respective
organizations were willing to cover their travel expenses.

The soccer team eventually got the ax, following its
disgraceful showing at the Tiger Cup in Vietnam in September,
when national defender Mursyid Effendy shot an intentional own
goal to give his side a desirable loss to Thailand. The Surabaya-
based player was handed a life-time ban by the Asian Football
Confederation.

Despite the economic crisis, some sports organizations managed
to send their Asiad-bound athletes abroad for trials in a bid to
boost their performances to the fittest level, in line with the
demanding standards of competition. And Wismoyo provided
incentive by offering cash bonuses to the medal-winning hopefuls.

Indonesia had to wait a week after the Games opener on Dec. 6
for its first gold medal. Hendrawan led the new-look national
men's badminton team past archrival China 4-0, giving Indonesia a
back-to-back victory at the Asiad.

Of the five other Indonesian gold medalists, two came in as
unlikely winners. Underdog Supriati Sutono clinched the women's
5,000-meter title with a last-ditch sprint, and Arief Taufan
Syamsuddin, competing in the men's 60kg class, won gold while his
team expected to collect the laurels from woman's karateka
Nilawati Daud.

Supriati's glorious run ended Indonesia's 36-year wait for a
track and field gold medal at the Asiad. Mohammad Sarengat earned
the country two golds in 100m and 110m hurdles at the 4th Asian
Games here in 1962.

Ironically, only Sarengat and Mochamad Hindarto, Indonesia's
secretary and chef de mission respectively, witnessed Supriati
notch up the historic win. Other top Indonesian officials had
opted to watch the beach volleyball competition in Pattaya, south
of Bangkok.

Farewell

The just-concluded Asian Games also marked a happy farewell
for Indonesia's tennis queen Yayuk Basuki. Smarting from a defeat
in the team event, Yayuk defied the odds to take the singles
crown. She beat the tournament's top two seeds in the process.

With Yayuk already setting a January 1999 date for her
retirement, Indonesia looks set to disappear from the world
tennis map for a while.

In Yayuk's absence, the Indonesian Fed Cup team stayed in the
Asia Oceania qualifying group one but could not match the
continent's prodigies. Yayuk was the instrumental force that
propelled Indonesia to the world's top 16 in the past.

The fate of Indonesia's Davis Cup team, the men's equivalent
tournament of the Fed Cup, proved even worse. A 5-0 drubbing by
China in September sent Indonesia to tennis wilderness for the
first time ever. Andrian Raturandang and company will have to
fight for a place in the Asia Oceania qualifying group next
season.

Indonesian badminton suffered a blow with a finding that world
men's doubles champion Sigit Budiarto failed a dope test in the
Singapore Open, which he won with Candra Wijaya in August.

Sigit, claiming that he unintentionally took nandrolone
anabolic steroids, was sentenced for one year by the
International Badminton Federation following a hearing in
November.

The punishment was 12 months lighter than the maximum sentence
for a player who violates the IBF antidoping rules. Sigit was the
third Indonesian to be involved in a drug scam after men's
singles Hastomo Arbi in 1984, and women's singles Minarti Timur
in 1991.

But badminton, again, salvaged Indonesia's pride this year
when in May, Hariyanto Arbi and companions stretched their Thomas
Cup men's team championship supremacy for the third consecutive
time. They beat Malaysia 3-2, after going to an unassailable 3-1
lead in the final in Hong Kong.

Their female compatriots, led by a former Olympic champion,
fell in the last hurdle at the hands of star-studded China 1-4.
The defeat stopped cold a unique triple double attempted by
Indonesia, which won both trophies in 1994 and 1996.

Thomas Cup victory was overshadowed by political turmoil at
home, when former president Soeharto ended his 32-year reign
following student demonstrations and rioting that left over 500
people dead.

Indonesian shuttlers had left for Hong Kong with Soeharto's
blessing. But when they returned home, a new president, B.J.
Habibie, gave them a stately welcome.

Security uncertainty which preceded and succeeded the transfer
of power adversely affected sports activities in the country. The
Indonesian soccer league was the first to fall victim when the
national soccer federation prematurely stopped it in May, leaving
the tournament without a champion.

The federation's new chairman, Agum Gumelar, who took over
from Azwar Anas, who resigned following the shameful behavior
during the Tiger Cup, reinstated the league on Oct. 28 amid a
sponsorship row.

In July, the Women's Tennis Association, the governing body of
women's professional tennis, cited security concerns for its
decision to drop two annual tournaments -- the Indonesia Open and
the Wismilak Open -- in the country.

Automotive sports were another notable victim due to security
concerns. All events were sanctioned by the international
automotive federation (FIA), most notably the Rally of Indonesia,
one of the world championship stops. The FIA even failed to list
the used-to-be annual event in its 1999 calendar.

The Indonesia Grand Prix world motorcycling championship was
also canceled, with Malaysia coming in as a late replacement to
host the race.

Indonesia's Asian Omega Tour golf tournament, the US$300,000
Tugu Pratama, also missed the cut this year after its organizers
fell short of funds to provide the prize money. The golf tourney
used to take place in November.

The Indonesia Open badminton championships were lucky to
escape the scythe. The tournament suffered only a four-month
delay from the original schedule of July. Organizers also reduced
the prize money from $200,000 to $125,000, which automatically
dropped the tournament's ranking.

Indonesian shuttlers romped home with all but the men's
singles title. That prestigious crown went to Yong Hock Kin, the
first Malaysian ever to win a tournament on Indonesian soil.