RI athletes only receive portion of IOC scholarships

RI athletes only receive portion of IOC scholarships

JAKARTA (JP): Four Indonesian athletes who have been selected
as recipients of an International Olympic Committee (IOC)
scholarship worth US$1,200 per month will only receive a small
portion of the amount.

A National Sports Council (KONI) official in charge of
educational affairs, Aribinuko Tjiptoadhidjojo, said on Monday
that each athlete's share in the form of an allowance was just
part of eight items covered in the scholarship awarded under the
Olympic Solidarity Program.

Apart from the pocket money, the IOC will also pay training
expenses, coaches salaries, medication, expert team consultation
expenses (in psychology, nutrition and coaching), medical
insurance, board and lodging and administration fees.

Three badminton players -- men's doubles specialist Candra
Wijaya, women's doubles player Deyana Lomban and men's singles
Taufik Hidayat -- and female lifter Sri Indriyani were named the
scholarship recipients.

KONI had originally recommended another badminton doubles
player, Sigit Budiarto, but he did not sign his approval to join
the IOC-sponsored program after he was informed that he had
failed a dope test at the Singapore Open which he won with Candra
in August last year. Candra and Sigit also won the 1997 World
Championship.

Sigit is serving a one-year ban imposed by the International
Badminton Federation. The ban lasts until September.

The scholarship winners should have received their money since
September last year. It has drawn complaints from some of them,
not to mention the information that they would only receive $300
out of the total.

"We want a clear explanation of this matter," said Taufik,
Indonesia's rising star who is expected to win the gold medal in
the 2004 Olympics.

He said the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) also cut
a player's scholarship, but the policy was fair.

"It's OK with me, because the PBSI has provided all my needs.
But what about KONI? As scholarship recipients we don't get any
special attention from them," said Taufik.

"If that's our right, please give it to us. Why should they
keep it? If there's a problem, please talk to us. But if we only
receive $300, it's not equivalent to our huge responsibility to
qualify for the 2000 Olympics," added Candra.

Aribinuko denied that KONI intentionally delayed the
disbursement of the scholarships. He said the council would give
the money to the four athletes after finishing all paper work.

"Everybody will receive an equal amount at the same time as
soon as possible," he said, adding that the athletes would
receive their respective allowances all at the same time.

"The money is ready for disbursement, but we are waiting for
details from the PBSI to revise estimated expenses they spend on
their athletes."

He said that in its original calculation, the PBSI reported
that it needed $2,750 per athlete per month. "We can't fulfill
this demand because the amount is far bigger that the IOC
commitment," Aribinuko said.

Aribinuko said the council would ask for an extension of the
program next year. "Who knows, the IOC will award more
scholarships," he said.

PBSI's deputy chief of athletes development, Hadi Nazri, said
the association would not give special treatment to the
scholarships recipients.

"PBSI won't treat them differently from the others just
because they won the scholarships. Everybody will undergo the
same training program," he said. (yan)