'RI equestrian team unfit for Asiad'

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Equestrian and Horse Racing Association admitted on Thursday that its team did not deserve places in the national contingent for the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok.

In his progress report to the National Sports Council's Asian Games task force, equestrian training director Suheryana said his squad appeared to have no chance of winning medals at the quadrennial event following their poor performance in the Southeast Asian league of the Volvo World Cup in Malaysia recently.

Roy Ibrahim, who finished fourth in the World Cup Jumping and Ardi Hapsoro, who was sixth in the Classic Open, were the best among Indonesia's underachievers during the Malaysian trip which served as a warm-up for the December Asiad.

Other equestrian team members are Indra Rosendi, Rafiq Hakim Radinal, Putri Wulandari and Kurniadi Mustopha.

The national team training director, Mochamad Hindarto, agreed with Suheryana, saying the equestrian team failed to meet the minimum target of finishing among the top three at the competition.

"We recommend that the sports council drop the equestrian team from the Asiad-bound contingent. But the final decision rests with the chairman," he said.

Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar has given the green light to the equestrian team to compete at the Asiad "for the sake of its development in the future".

Wismoyo also supports the self-sponsored equestrian team's bid to compete in the Asian Games because it will be in Bangkok for the final leg of the Southeast Asian league just before the Asiad.

Indonesia's withdrawal from the equestrian events would mean the country would take part in 18 sports in the games, scheduled for Dec. 6 to Dec. 20.

National tennis team director Benny Mailili said he was considering changes in his squad's Asian Games trials schedule.

"We'd rather play in a satellite tournament in the Philippines than in Japan next month. The decision will be made if we can beat the registration deadline tomorrow," Benny said.

He said he preferred the Philippines to Japan due to the climate.

"Japan is too cool for Indonesians," he said, adding that Indonesians were more suited to Bangkok's tropical climate.

Liza Andriyani completed the women's quartet after crushing Enny Sulistyowati 6-2, 6-0 on the final day of a selection tournament on Thursday.

Yayuk Basuki, Wynne Prakusya and Irawati Moerid Iskandar had already secured their places.

Hindarto said that Yayuk, who will return home in the next two weeks, had still to decide if she would compete in the singles event.

Yayuk has hinted she will concentrate on doubles events, saying her chances of winning medals in singles look slim. She took the women's doubles gold medal with Suzanna Anggarkusuma in the 1986 Asiad in Seoul and mixed doubles gold with Suharyadi, now her husband and coach, in the 1990 games in Beijing.

Indonesia will compete in the men's doubles, women's team, women's doubles and mixed doubles events of the Asiad tennis competition.

Benny said the men's doubles team of Bonit Wiryawan and Sulityo Wibowo would play in an international tournament in New Delhi from Nov. 19 to Nov. 25. Indian Davis Cuppers Laender Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are expected to win both the singles and doubles titles. The Indians are the world number three pair. (yan)