PON -- a time for talent scouting

The National Games (PON) which opens in Jakarta tomorrow is more than just a contest for collecting the most gold between the 27 provinces taking part. The event provides an opportunity for Indonesia to select its best athletes to represent the nation in future international events. Indonesia desperately needs fresh young talents following a series of failures in international events, from the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last year to the disappointing showing at the Olympics in Atlanta in July. Our cover story this week tries to look at the relevance of the Games in selecting athletes. Related articles appear on Page 6 and Page 9. The reports were prepared by Aloysus Bhui, IGGP Bayu Ismoyo, Imanuddin, Kosasih Derajat, Primastuti Handayani and Riyadi.

JAKARTA (JP): The 14th National Games (PON) begin tomorrow. The quadrennial sports event will be staged for the eighth time at Senayan Sports Complex in Central Jakarta.

There are 509 gold, 509 silver and 599 bronze medals on offer.

The Rp 28.5 billion (US$12 million) sports event featuring 4,915 athletes will see 35 competition sports and five exhibition sports.

The question is whether the Games are still an arena for recruiting top athletes, and whether the Games should remain a "show of force" to the world, as declared by President Sukarno, the country's founding father, at the opening ceremony of the first Games held in Surakarta, Central Java, in 1948?

In the past, the Games has produced the like of sprinter M. Sarengat, who clocked 10.4 seconds in 100-meter sprint and 14.3 seconds in 110-meter hurdles, and Purnomo and Mardi Lestari, both sprinters who grabbed gold in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the Asian Games.

Yet none of our sprinters could bring home gold medals from the last SEA and Asian Games.

Indonesia failed to maintain its supremacy as number one sports title holder in the Southeast Asian region, when it was defeated by Thailand at the last Games, in Chiang Mai in December.

Indonesia also failed to maintain its level at the 1992 Olympics, when it got two gold medals. Indonesia only took one gold medal in the recent summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Purnomo said in an interview that the main cause of the decline of Indonesian performance is inadequate training.

"We have always left our training of young athletes too late. There has been a significant gap between senior and junior athletes," he said.

"Indonesia has a great number of promising young athletes. But can they compete with these older athletes?" he asked.

But Purnomo said the National Games are still relevant as an arena of recruitment for promising athletes.

"Young athletes from the provinces still consider the National Games an arena to prove their worth after many years of training."

Sarengat, now deputy chairman of the National Sports Council (KONI) for training, agrees. "The National Games have, either directly or indirectly, forced local sports councils to train athletes." he told the Post.

Purnomo said established athletes had lost their spirit of competition in the National Games. "They are after medals and bonuses. They no longer care about breaking records," he said.

M.F. Siregar, a KONI advisor, proposes decentralization in training system.

"We cannot expect the national sports training center, which is active only during international sports events, to do all the work," Siregar said.

"We should encourage the establishment of new sports clubs as well as maximize the existing clubs' potential for creating talented athletes. We should not forget that sports clubs are where good athletes come from," he added.

"We should prioritize training for sports at which Indonesian and Asian competitions are best," he said.

Indonesian athletes have to be encouraged to break national sports records, then go on to Southeast Asian, Asian and world records, he said.

Indonesia should also adopt international standards.

"We should realize that in international tournaments, our rivals are foreign athletes," he said.

Siregar also stressed the importance of proper training at schools. "Schools are the main source of athletes," he said.

He cited the recent success of the Indonesian students soccer team, which recently won the Asian Students Soccer Cup title.

Separately, Allan Coles, an Australian Sports Commission consultant working for the office of the State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, says training for athletes should start early. "Develop talented young people when they're between 10 and 12 to get the best results," Coles said.

He suggested establishing a national sports science center to research the improvement of athletic performance.

He cited the Australian sports ministry, which had built a sports complex in Canberra with complete facilities for accommodation, training and coaching as well as a sports and science institute.

On the National Games, Purnomo, Siregar and Sarengat agreed they need improvement.

"Publicity for the event should have started at least a month beforehand," said Purnomo.

Siregar said that control must be improved. "All sports have to be chaired by competent referees because unfair judgments by incompetent referees will trigger quarrels among participants."

"People are bored with clashes among soccer players," he said.

He also suggested improving transportation.

"People are reluctant to go to a sports event if they have difficulties reaching the venue. They also dislike frequent changes in schedules," he commented.

Sarengat suggested that the organizers review the scheduling of the Games, which are usually held during school days. "We should consider holding them during school holidays," he said.

Funding

On funding the Games, the city administration has collected Rp 20 billion (US$8.4 million), far less than the needed Rp 28.5 billion.

The organizing committee's executive chairman, R.S. Museno, who is also the deputy governor of Jakarta, said the committee will have no problems meeting the target because it is still expecting more money coming from sponsors and from ticket sales.

Jakarta residents are required to buy stickers when they pay their phone and electricity bills, and when they park their cars in certain areas. City agencies are also obliged to sell such stickers to people who apply for building permits from the city development supervision agency.