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)