RI cyclists compete for Olympic berths

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) plans to send five mountain cyclists to compete in the Asian cycling championship in Malaka, Malaysia, on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, which also serves as a prequalifying round for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

ISSI secretary-general Sofian Ruzian identified the cyclists as Rissa Suseanty, Ferry Sonic, Sugianto Setiawan, Zainul Siswanto and Harly.

Sofian said, however, that Indonesia only had a narrow chance of securing a berth in the Olympics because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was only offering two slots, one for a man cyclist and one for a woman in the Asia-Pacific zone.

He was quoted by Antara as saying the cyclists would warm up in the Tour of Jatim national cycling championship in East Java from Sept. 18 to Sept. 23. (ivy)