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)