Pelti will delay SEA Games training program until July

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) will delay its training program for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games until July.

Pelti spokesman Benny Mailili said on Wednesday that Pelti had decided in a meeting held on Tuesday evening and attended by association chairman Tanri Abeng, to delay the training program until after national selections from June 23 to June 26. Pelti will select eight of 19 players to take part in the Games.

"We won't have a selection for doubles players. The players will then take part in the SEA Games training program starting in July."

Benny said veteran players, including Andrian Raturandang and men's doubles specialist Sulistyo Wibowo, would be given the chance to compete in the selection process.

Besides Andrian and Sulistyo, eight men's players will participate in the selections. They are: Suwandi, Edy Kusdaryanto, Hendri Susilo Pramono, Febi Widhiyanto, Dede Suhendar, Bonit Wiryawan, Sebastian DaCosta and Yusmawan Fahmi.

Eight players on the women's side will also take part in the selections: Irawati Moerid Iskandar, Frederika Girsang, Mudarwati, Liza Andriyani, Wukirasih Sawondari, Dea Sumantri, Angelique Widjaya and Romana Tedjakusuma.

Indonesia's top player, Wynne Prakusya, has already earned a place in the Games due to her World Tennis Association ranking of 190.

Benny said currently all players were free to train with their favorite coaches. But after they join the Pelti training program, two coaches will train the men's squad and two will coach the women's, with a head coach supervising the entire training.

"Coaching nominees must understand sports science. They will have to present their ideas in a meeting during the one-month training program. The officials at the meeting will decide on the most feasible ideas," he said.

The decision to hold such a meeting was made following protest from a number of tennis players who refused to take part in multiple training programs supervised by different coaches. The training programs were originally organized to prepare tennis players for tournaments other than the SEA Games in Brunei Darussalam from Aug. 7 to Aug. 15.

Protests further mounted following allegations that a Pelti official appointed his friends to sit on the committee overseeing the selection for the SEA Games and the Games training program.

Benny said the allegation was made in an anonymous letter.

The letter said Soedjono Timan, Pelti's official in charge of athlete development, appointed Martina Widjaja and her brother-in-law, Aga Sumarna, to chair the committee.

It also accused Soedjono of appointing officials and coaches close to Martina as committee members, including Glen Sugita, Deddy Prasetyo, Suharyadi and his wife, Yayuk Basuki, Tintus A. Wibowo and his wife, Suzanna Anggarkusuma.

Benny said Martina was still slated to lead the national team to the SEA Games and would be assisted by Tien Indrajit and Aga.

He also said the four coaches -- Suharyadi, Yayuk, Tintus and Suzanna -- must take part in the presentations if they wanted to coach the national teams. (ivy)