No need to send soccer team to Asian Games: Minister

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport Hayono Isman has said there is no need to send the national soccer team to the Asian Games in Bangkok in December.

"There is little chance of the team winning any medal. The other reason is that we are facing a financial crisis so we should economize our spending," Hayono said Thursday.

Hayono made the statement following President Soeharto's decision that the National Sports Council should only send sports that are likely to return with medals from the Bangkok Games.

Explaining Indonesia's faint hopes of taking a soccer medal, Hayono said there were at least four countries that were more likely to win the medals. They are South Korea, Iran, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

"These four countries will compete in the World Cup in France this June," Hayono said.

As to which sports will be sent to the Asian Games, Hayono said many sports organizations had asked the National Sports Council to announce the sports so they could prepare their training programs.

"The training programs need funds. I would prefer it if we did not waste too much of the funds on this year's Asian Games but use them to prepare junior athletes for the Asian Games in 2002 or the Sydney Olympics in 2000," Hayono said.

Sepak takraw

Despite the financial crisis hitting many sports organizations, the Indonesian Sepak Takraw Association is planning to send athletes to international tournaments overseas.

Association deputy chairman Charisan Anwar said Thursday that the intention would become reality if Indonesia decided to send a sepaktakraw team to the Bangkok Games.

"We are always ready should the council suddenly ask us to prepare athletes for the Asian Games," Charisan said, adding that the target would obviously be to win medals.

"We expect at least one bronze. But we will try to grab more medals, including golds," Charisan said.

Charisan said that based on its current schedule, the association was planning to send athletes to the King's Cup in Thailand in July and August, the Isa Cup in Malaysia in August and the Hanoi Sepaktakraw Championships in Hanoi in November.

The national athletes will also compete in the Anniversary Cup II here in August.

The Anniversary Cup II, held to commemorate Indonesia's 53rd anniversary of independence, will feature Australia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and host Indonesia.

"We will also organize a number of local tournaments starting in April in Bengkulu, South Kalimantan, West Nusatenggara and North Sulawesi. Our athletes will also compete in the national sepaktakraw championships in Bandung in June," Charisman said. (lnt)