Pertina to select boxers for Olympics

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) are to select the boxers to fight for tickets to the 2000 Olympics Games in the final prequalifying round in Bangkok from April 1 to April 7.

Pertina's deputy secretary-general Didiet Soedijoto said on Monday the boxers would be selected in the Sarung Tinju Emas (Golden Boxing Gloves) bouts in Batam from Feb. 28 to March 4.

"We don't know yet who will fight in Bangkok," he said.

National boxers have so far failed to earn a single berth in two prequalifying rounds in Tashkent last October and in Tae Jeon City in South Korea in January.

Didiet also said the association had not decided to replace the national boxing coach Frans V.B. with the newly-hired Cuban coach Carlos J.P. Torres following his failure to qualify any boxers for the quadrennial event.

"Carlos will do his job as coach for the junior team as is in his contract. He is now the consultant for the Olympics training program," he said.(ivy)