Pugilist Pino not to undergo surgery
Pugilist Pino not to undergo surgery
JAKARTA (JP): Middleweight Pino Bahari does not need surgery
for his spinal injury, but his return to the Olympic Games in
Atlanta this July remains in doubt, a sports official has said.
"We will take conservative measures to help him recover.
Surgery is unlikely because medication and physiotherapy will be
enough to cure his injury," Suhantoro, the chief of the National
Sports Council laboratory, said after a second fitness test
imposed on Indonesian boxing team yesterday.
Pino sprung a surprise on his public when he came out for the
test alongside his brother, featherweight Nemo, as well as light
flyweight La Paene Masara, flyweight boxer Hermansen Ballo and
light middleweight boxer Hendrik Simangunsong.
They underwent blood and endurance tests, but, unlike his four
teammates, Pino was excused from those exercises which involved
back movement.
Suhantoro refused to reveal the results of the tests, saying
that there were many items to analyze.
"In general, if their fitness increases between five and seven
and a half percent, then the training program they are undergoing
is good," Suhantoro said.
He also declined to comment on Pino's fate after yesterday's
tests. The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association had earlier
decided that fitness tests would be among criteria to select its
boxing team for Atlanta.
Suhantoro said last week that an operation would be conducted
on the recommendation of two specialists, an orthopedist and a
neurologist, involved in the efforts to help Pino.
Suhantoro himself suggested that Pino skip the Olympics in
July and take a four-week rest. The doctor also wanted the 23-
year-old boxer to prepare himself for the Southeast Asian Games
next year.
Pino now wears a back brace and drinks Chinese medicine made
of extract of turtle given to him by his orthopedist, Dr.
Chaehab. The orthopedist also asked Pino to rest for one month.
Pino, the 1990 Asian Games gold medalist, was diagnosed to be
suffering a spinal injury after a test on April 10. He was
released from the training stint at the Army's special forces
base camp in Cijantung, East Jakarta. Pino is staying at the
Century Park hotel for physiotherapy.
The Indonesian boxing body has canceled its plans for a warm-
up fight for its Olympic team in Bandung on May 14 and 15, to
hold a meeting with the sports council to decide the lineup of
the national Olympic boxing team.
The boxing body is however sticking to its plans to send the
team to Cuba on May 19 to take part in the Cordoba-Cardin
tournament in Camaquey and the Pedro Soto Alba in Holkuin. (yan)