Pertina to send boxers to Cadet championship

Pertina to send boxers to Cadet championship

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association
(Pertina) plans to send a group of boxers to the first
international boxing championship for the cadet category (13 to
16 age group) in Baku, Azerbaijan, in September.

"We will send young boxers as part of our preparations for the
2004 Athens Olympic Games. But we haven't yet decided how many
boxers and in what weight divisions will be sent since we haven't
received the registration form," the head of Pertina's technical
commission, Ferry Moniaga, said on Wednesday on the sidelines of
the National Sports Council (KONI)'s three-day national congress
in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

"It will be sufficient if we can send two or three boxers to
the first championships.

"Currently, there are seven cadet and at least 15 junior
boxers (17 to 19 age group) being prepared in our boxing camp.
Nationwide, there are about 50 boxers in both categories.

"We will also hold our first national cadet championships in
Makassar, South Sulawesi, sometime in June, followed by the
junior championships in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, the
following month. We aim to select the best boxers to be sent to
the championships in Azerbaijan.

"For the senior boxers, the championships are scheduled to
take place in Palembang, South Sumatra, in October. This will
also serve as a test run for the local organizing committee
preparing for the Palembang 2004 National Games (PON)," he said.

Ferry said that Pertina would hold the 2000 Golden Gloves
championships in Semarang next month and the 2001 championships
in West Java in November.

"Pertina has to stage the 2000 event this year because we
didn't have the opportunity to do it last year. We do not have
any option but to stage both events this year.

"For the 2001 event, it's up to Pertina's West Java chapter
where to stage the event. It can be in Bandung or Bogor, or some
other West Java city of their choice," he said.

The Golden Gloves is an elite boxing tournament with demanding
requirements.

For the 2000 event, participating boxers need to meet one of
the following six criteria: one of the nation's top five boxers;
a finalist at the 1999 Golden Gloves in Batam; a finalist at the
2000 National Games in Surabaya; a winner at the 1999 National
Junior Championships in Jakarta; a member of the Kuala Lumpur
2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games training center; or one of the
best athletes in Pertina's chapters.

"Pertina also will give four wild cards to boxers from the
Central Java provincial chapter, as the host. We expect them to
send their best boxers," said Ferry. (nvn)