PON still needed to recruit Asiad, Olympic athletes

PON still needed to recruit Asiad, Olympic athletes

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) officials
said they still consider the National Games (PON) necessary for
recruiting young athletes to join the national team, but
regulations and sport categorizations needed to be improved.

The KONI official in charge of athletes development, Muhammad
Hindarto, told reporters on Thursday that the council must
prioritize sports which are featured in the Asian Games and the
Olympics to further athletes' goals in the international
multisport events.

"PON is meant to recruit young athletes to join the national
team. They are expected to represent the country in the Olympics
in the future. For that purpose, PON sport events must be based
on the sports featured at the Asiad and Olympic Games," he said
during a lunch break at the KONI members annual meeting.

Hindarto emphasized that some sport events featured at PON
would not be at international multisport events.

"At PON we have a motorcycle road race and roller skating as
exhibition events. We cannot turn down their request to stage the
event because those sport organizations are members of KONI."

Hindarto said KONI must improve its statute at its plenary
national congress in the year 2003.

"The new statute may regulate that only sports featured at
Asiad and Olympics will be staged at PON. Other sports, which are
still admitted as KONI members, are allowed to stage their annual
national championships."

Earlier, KONI vice chairman, Arie Sudewo, also shared the same
opinion that Indonesia still needed to have a national games
event as the recruitment process for the higher level of
multisport events.

"For next year's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur,
we will recruit our athletes from this year's Olympic team and
PON winners," said Arie, who is also the executive training
director for Indonesia's contingent at the Olympics and the SEA
Games.

"KONI expects sport organizations to carefully observe young
potential athletes in PON as they will be groomed in a long-term
training program for the SEA Games."

Arie gave a thumbs down to criticism from Ismangun
Notosapoetro, a member of the House of Representatives Commission
VI on Religion and Human Resources.

Ismangun said PON was no longer effective in developing
athletes as many provinces preferred to trade athletes among one
another. He also said this disabled KONI from seeking young
talent because provinces preferred to field their international-
class athletes to take as many gold medals as possible.

"I think the idea to dismiss PON is based on only one person's
idea. PON has been held every four years since 1958. We can't
cancel it just because of someone's suggestion," Arie said.

"I think PON is still necessary to make KONI's provincial
chapters and sports organizations responsible in their duties to
groom young athletes in their respective areas."

"If we really want to make PON as a talent scouting arena, we
must improve the system. We must modify the regulations on
athlete transfers and it will be discussed in KONI's annual
congress next week."

KONI will stage a two-day congress at Hotel Mulia Senayan on
Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 and will officially set up the Olympic
contingent.

Arie said in the meantime, PON would remain a quadrennial
event.

"Many chapters have urged us to stage PON every two years.
It's really difficult to arrange an annual calendar for so many
sport events based on their national or international
tournaments. We are still working on it," he said.

"However, KONI has decided that the next PON will be staged
four years after the one in Surabaya in June."

Four provinces -- North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java and
Central Java -- have submitted proposals to host the event. (yan)