PABBSI denies bias in selection of lifters

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) denied on Tuesday any bias in nominating the lifters for the 2002 Asian Games.

"That's not true. What we have taken into account in the selection procedure is an assessment of competitiveness," Gandrung, PABBSI's executive director, told reporters here.

The policy defies one of the three criteria set by the National Sports Council (KONI) that athletes qualifying for the Asian Games must have been finalists at the recent Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

Gandrung said that PABBSI's own evaluation of the athletes' medal prospects had been done in consultation with KONI.

"We are not too preoccupied by athletes' showing in Kuala Lumpur, because, as far as weightlifting is concerned, it could be misleading compared to Asian levels in terms of ranking," he said.

The continent's biggest multi-event sporting showcase will be held in Pusan, South Korea, next September, for which Indonesia has reserved entries in the contingent for around 150 athletes in 17 events.

KONI has put aside 41 athletes as top priority choices deemed to possess better medal prospects.

The top priority list formerly included four weightlifters -- Erwin Abdullah of South Sulawesi, Sri Indriyani of Lampung, Lisa Rumbewas of South Kalimantan and Rosmaniar of Jambi -- who have now been relegated to secondary status after KONI determined that PABBSI had revised the criteria.

Local media have played on speculations that PABBSI weightlifting officials were keen to discriminate against lifters from Lampung, the sport's strongest powershouse in the country.

"How did they arrive at such a judgment? Besides Sri, we have Misdan Yunip, Yadi Setiyadi and Sri Hartati from Lampung," The other nominee is Tati Pratiwi from Central Java.

The four athletes reserved as second choice are to start their collective training with the rest of the contingent members next January.

Gandrung said the fact that the Asian Games were a class apart from SEA Games was why PABBSI overlooked certain athletes who excelled in Kuala Lumpur.

"Yudi Suhartono for example, he may have won a gold in Kuala Lumpur, but he is only eighth in Asia. His mark remains 30 kilograms shy of the Asia number three," he said.

The argument justified PABBSI's selection of Lisa and Indriyani, who, despite being in poor form in the SEA Games, finished second and third at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.