Perbakin postpones SEA Games selection

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Shooting and Hunting Association (Perbakin) decided to postpone its national selection for the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian (SEA) Games squad.

"The selection will take place in conjunction with the Timor Air Gun Championships on June 2 and 3 in order to increase its quality," Perbakin official in charge of SEA Games training Benny Mamoto was quoted by Antara as saying over the weekend.

Perbakin will pick 22 athletes from 24 available in the selection. The squad will comprise three athletes in each event of women's trap, women's double trap, rapid fire pistol, men's and women's air pistol and women's air rifle match. As for women's prone and sport pistol there will be two athletes for each.

Members of the Games team will join a centralized training program at Cilodong, West Java, and Jakarta. They will undergo an overseas tryout at the SEASA (Southeast Asian Shooting Association) Championships in Bangkok in July.

Benny also said that three of the 27 shooters had submitted their resignation letters in relation to the SEA Games training program.

"They resigned because one of them had just got a job, another has to join a job training program at her office and the other has just delivered a baby," he said.

The three athletes are women's prone specialists Yasmiri Arub and Laksmi Slamet and double trap specialist Titin Indahwati.

Four other athletes insisted on joining the decentralized training program in their respective areas. The athletes were Edsam Kaplale and Oni Rajaloa of East Java, Bari Agustini of Riau and Yohana Lawalata of Bali.

"They are allowed to train in their respective hometowns although they should have joined the whole team here. But Perbakin wants to accommodate their wish for their own good. So far, they have trained in Jakarta for only a week before a championship." (yan)