Provincial budgets set for KONI chapters

Provincial budgets set for KONI chapters

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) provincial
chapters have received an instruction letter from the ministry of
home affairs to include sports development funds in each
provincial budget.

KONI vice chairman, Oyong Kramayudha, said on Wednesday on the
sidelines of the two-day KONI national plenary meeting that the
instruction letter would help chapters to continue their training
programs.

"Each chapter has already received a commitment from the
provincial administration to provide funds for sports development
in order to fulfill the Golden Garuda project goal to finish
sixth in the 2006 Asian Games," he said.

The amount of funds will be different in each province,
depending on its sports priority and the province's revenue.

Autonomy Law No. 22/1999 and the Intergovernmental Fiscal
Balance Law No. 25/1999, which were passed by the House of
Representatives in April last year, intend to increase the
provincial administrations' revenues from their natural resources
and their role in managing those resources.

Oyong said that KONI would still try to get financial
assistance from national companies.

"We will ask some companies to help KONI by instructing their
branch office in the provinces to donate a small part of their
profits for sports development in those provinces," he said.

"The companies' branches can act as patrons for KONI chapters
or sports organizations' provincial chapters," he said.

Oyong said provinces with a limited amount of revenue might
only rely on the provincial budget.

"But KONI and other sports organizations will help the
province solicit funds from some companies."

KONI official in charge of athletes development, Muchammad
Hindarto, said provincial chapters must be more active in
grooming athletes under KONI supervision.

"Provincial chapters must provide their own funds to finance
the decentralized training programs. However, we still need to
discuss with sports experts if the provinces are ready to stage
the programs," he said.

Citing an example, Hindarto said the U. S. has its Olympic
training center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. However, most
athletes are trained in their respective states and only gather
in the center prior to a multi-sport event.

"But the center in Colorado Springs has complete data on all
athletes. Athletes only come when they need to undergo tests," he
said.

Sri Sudono Sumarto, director of sports of the directorate
general of informal school education, youth and sports of the
Ministry of National Education, said that 60 student training
centers in 26 provinces had to reduce their budgets after the
government decided not to allocate money for sports development.

"We shall try very hard not to close any of the 60 centers,
but we may have to reduce the number of students based on their
skills. Only students with the best performance, in sports and
academy, will be accommodated in the centers," he said. (yan)