Oka struggles to find tougher waves
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian windsurfing star Oka Sulaksana has complained about the absence of competitiveness at home while he struggles to deal with the prospect of securing greater financial support for his overseas swing.
Oka, from Bali, is clearly the dominant force in the Asian windsurfing scene, being the two-time Asian Games champion in 1998 and 2002. However, he still struggles in worldwide arena, due partly to the fact that domestic competitions do not provide him with much challenge.
"Nowadays, kids get into the (windsurfing) sport only as a time-killing trend. Very rarely are they -- some of whom I met -- motivated to achieve recognition in competition," he said on the sidelines of the Tanjung International Regatta, about 300 kilometers west of Jakarta, on Sunday.
Oka said that the sport just was not so popular among Indonesians.
Therefore, he said, he always ran into the same faces at tournaments.
"The sport is becoming unpopular and if this trend continues, I do not know how much longer I can stay competitive for international events," he said.
While domestic tournaments have become a training ground for him, Oka admitted that he had not obtained enough financial support for his international tournaments, which could threaten his bid for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
"I have been striving to find a sponsor for the tournaments. But it's not easy to get one," he said, adding that he would turn to the National Sports Council (KONI) for some help.
The two-day Tanjung Lesung International Regatta on Saturday and Sunday, which is one in a series of four tournaments on the 2003 schedule of the Indonesian Sailing Association (Porlasi), featured 72 participants. The participants hail from Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Banten, Bali, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam with a few expatriates from the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
The other three tournaments will be held in Lampung, Jakarta and Bali.
"The Porlasi must be more proactive in organizing more sailing events to lift the popularity of the sport," said Hamonang from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, who competed in the Men's Laser category.
Eight events were contested: Men's Laser, Women's Laser Radial, Laser Master, Hobie Catamaran Open, IMCO Open, Race Board, Optimist Boys and Optimist Girls.
That old faces dominate the competition speaks volumes, and absence of serious rival windsurfers, who are as tough as Oka, just do not seem to be in the offing any time soon.
Oka, as expected, won the Mistral by a lopsided margin, followed by Dwi Cahyono of East Java and I Wayan W.
Oka hailed 17-year-old Wayan's modest run to grab third place, but said his fellow Balinese compatriot still had lots of hard work and improvement ahead.
"He is 17 and has the potential to become excellent in windsurfing. However, to become my competitor ... well, maybe not at the moment. But he and other surfers of his age can create their own competition in the future, when more events are organized," he said.