Over 5,000 athletes to join National Games

JAKARTA (JP): A total of 5,049 athletes from the country's 27 provinces have qualified for 35 events in the National Games here from Sept. 9 to Sept. 20, the organizers say.

Hindarto, official in charge of competition affairs, said yesterday that there was a 13 percent hike in participants this year compared to the previous games three years ago.

"We have listed 589 more athletes than last time because we have six new sports," Hindarto said.

Equestrianism, billiards and snooker, bridge, chess, squash and golf will make their debut in the quadrennial event this September.

The National Sports Council said that the new sports are included in the Games to give a boost to athletes' performance on international levels.

The council decided to move the Games forward one year from the original schedule, due to the general election in 1997.

Five sports are listed as exhibition games. These are roller skating, motocross, rock climbing, baseball and the Chinese martial art wushu.

"Those sports are very popular among teenagers and students," Hindarto said.

Mountain bike, beach volleyball and women's sepak takraw, will also be introduced to the Games, with their breeder sports of cycling, volleyball and men's sepak takraw.

As of yesterday, 846 referees and judges had been registered for the sporting event, but Hindarto said that the committee needs 44 more.

The organizers are still renovating 44 venues for use during the sporting festival.

The Senayan sports complex will stage most of the competitions, with a few events held outside the city.

Aerosports will take place at Pondok Cabe airport, Bogor, West Java. Rowing, canoeing and dragon boat races will be held at the Jatiluhur dam, in Purwakarta, West Java.

Soccer will kick off with its preliminary matches one day before the opening ceremony. The Indonesian Football Association has announced that 12 teams qualify for the Games, but the Games committee has ruled that only 10 of them are eligible for the medals race.

"It is up to the soccer governing body how to cut the number of teams to 10," Hindarto said.

The Games organizing committee has set a budget of Rp 2,5 billion (US$1.1 million) for the competition department. (yan)