RI boxing team gears up for SEA Games
RI boxing team gears up for SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's 11-strong boxing team is geared up
for the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand next
month.
"Mentally, physically and technically they are more than 80
percent ready for the games," Imron Z.S. said on Wednesday. Imron
is executive director of the Indonesian Amateur Boxing
Association.
He said that six of his boxers have the best potential to
reach the finals. They are middleweight Albert Papilaya, light
middleweight Hendrik Simangunsong, featherweight Nemo Bahari,
middleweight Pino Bahari, flyweight Rahman Kili-kili and light
flyweight La Paene.
Two of the six, Nemo and his brother Pino Bahari, have been
given special workouts by their coach and father, Daniel Bahari
in their hometown Denpasar, Bali.
Since last week, the Bali-based brothers have been
pitted against professional sparring partners from a boxing camp
in Surabaya, East Java. They sparred in five, three-minute
rounds.
The associations secretary-general, Didiet Soedijoto, told The
Jakarta Post yesterday that host Thailand has yet to inform them
which round format it will apply in the boxing competition.
The world amateur boxing body plans to replace the old three,
two-minute format with one consisting of five rounds, starting
from Jan. 1 next year.
Didiet said he heard from his Thai counterpart, Sakchai
Tapsuwan, that the Games organizing committee would apply the new
format.
The new format was introduced to minimize knock downs in
amateur boxing. Statistics shows that referees stop a contest in
the third minute.
The National Sports Council sent its advance team, led by
Mohammad Sarengat, to Chiang Mai yesterday, to get first-hand
information about the format, Didiet said.
Thailand has also re-scheduled the boxing finals from Dec. 16
to Dec. 17, the closing day of the games. "If this is true, our
finalists would have a two-day rest, which is beneficial," Didiet
said.
Tae kwon do
The Indonesian Tae kwon do Association expects that all 16
athletes it is fielding for the 18th Southeast Asian Games in
Chiang Mai, Thailand, would be able to advance to finals.
"We hope all our athletes can reach the finals," Hanafi Saud,
deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Tae kwon do
Association, told The Post on Wednesday. The National Sports
Council has set a target of four gold medals from tae kwon do.
Indonesia managed only two golds from female athletes Anis
Dewi and Rahmi Kurnia in the 1993 meet in Singapore.
Indonesia's SEA Games-bound tae kwon do team has completed all
its scheduled tryouts and is now in its relaxation period prior
to the games, coach Bambang Wijanarko said.
The tryouts included the Japan Open and the Vietnam Open.
Dasyanto Pribadi took the men's welterweight title for Indonesia
in Japan. Indonesia won two gold medals through the women's
heavyweight, Anis, and women's bantamweight, Umi Alifah.
Although the results of the tryouts were encouraging, Hanafi
said that host athletes will pose a clear danger to Indonesia's
gold medal winning attempt in Chiang Mai.
"Thailand's tae kwon do athletes have trained in South Korea
longer than ours. I don't know for sure how long, perhaps three
months," Hanafi said. "Our athletes trained there for one only
month because of financial restraints," he added. (arf)