Over 5,000 athletes to join National Games
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)