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.