PABBSI urged to review list of Asiad lifters

PABBSI urged to review list of Asiad lifters

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Internal conflicts and charges of regional bias, within the
Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding
Association (PABBSI) have surfaced following the selection of
weightlifters for next year's Asian Games.

PABBSI has proposed Erwin Abdullah of South Sulawesi, Sri
Indriyani of Lampung, Lisa Rumbewas of South Kalimantan and
Rosmaniar of Jambi. They top the priority list of lifters that
the National Sports Council (KONI) will send to the Games.

Many have questioned the inclusion of Rosmaniar, given the
fact that she only finished fourth at the comparatively less
competitive Southeast Asian (SEA) Games recently.

To compound the issue, PABBSI bypassed a number of names, who
many in the sport believe should have been given invitations, but
perhaps were not included because of a regional bias within
PABBSI against the country's top training center in Lampung.

"I don't understand how they came to such a decision," Steve
Tengko, the PABBSI chief of development affairs, said on
Wednesday.

Steve added that the list was different from the one agreed
upon during the association's plenary meeting on Oct. 20.

"They should have notified me about the change in my capacity
as development department chief," he said, referring to his role
to develop and select the best possible athletes, which was
apparently ignored.

Weightlifting is one of the 17 events Indonesia plans to
compete in at the 2002 Asian Games, which will be held in Pusan,
South Korea, next September.

KONI requires the candidates to meet certain criteria, one of
which is that an athlete should at least reach the finals of the
SEA Games.

Steve mentioned several names whom he said should have been
invited. The lifters left off the list were either gold or silver
medalists at the SEA Games, including Misdan Yunip, Yadi Setiadi,
Nusyanto, Tati Pratiwi and Yudi Suhartono, the first three are
from Lampung, the country's strongest weightlifting powerhouse.

Steve's criticism not only signified a prevalent internal
discord within the weightlifting association, it also showed
defiance against a PABBSI policy that statements related to the
association's affairs should only be made by the chairman, the
executive director, a spokesman or the secretary general.

PABBSI had earlier come under fire for its unfair treatment of
certain athletes following the success of Lampung-based
powerlifter Sutrisno, who won a gold medal at the World
Championships in Finland.

Sutrisno's victory has confirmed his talent which PABBSI
deliberately failed to reward by not providing financial support
for his trip to Finland. Instead, PABBSI's Lampung chapter, where
Sutrisno trains, reportedly had to cover all the expenses.