Oka helped out by association chairman
JAKARTA (JP): Windsurfer Oka Sulaksana will compete in the Mistral World 2000 championships after the Indonesian Yachting and Windsurfing Association (Porlasi) chairman Soentoro assured that his expenses would be covered.
Porlasi's official in charge of athletes development Raymond Kotambunan said on Tuesday the association so far only collected Rp 30 million (US$4,000) of the Rp 60 million needed for the event in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
"The chairman has approved financial assistance to Oka, perhaps the money will come from sponsors. I will meet him this afternoon to discuss the matter," he said.
"I have already taken care of Oka's needs, including his visa, airplane ticket and other matters. Hopefully he can leave the country on Thursday."
The event is from Feb. 14 to Feb. 20.
"The championship is to show the world Oka's real strength. He must ensure his position in the world rankings. His results in last year's championship in Noumea, New Caledonia, in November, were not indicative of his real skills as he only needed to qualify for the Olympic Games," Raymond said.
Oka will take three days for acclimatization and also meet Israeli coach Amith Inbar at the championships to discuss physical training programs. Oka is also expected to meet another coach, Bruce Kendall of New Zealand, who is focusing on the improvement of Oka's technical skills and strategy.
As a warm-up event for the Olympics in Sydney from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1, Oka will compete in six tournaments in Europe; the Roma Sail Week in Anzio, Italy, from March 26 to April 1; the Princessa Sofia trophy in Palma, Spain, from April 16 to April 20; the Semaine Olympique in Heynes, France, from April 23 to April 28; the European Championships in Cadiz, Spain, from May 18 to April 28; and the Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany, from June 17 to June 23.
Oka will need about Rp 700 million to cover expenses for the events.
"The Olympics' preparation should have started three years ago but we have had to compress it into only three months. That's why we need a lot of money to finance Oka's trip. We are looking for sponsorships for the European tour," Raymond said.
Oka is also scheduled to warm up in the Australia International Regatta at Sydney Harbor from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8 before competing in the quadrennial event. He finished 13th in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
With his tight schedule in Europe, Oka will miss the 15th National Games in Surabaya in June. His home province of Bali had expected him to contribute one gold medal in the event. (yan)