RI rowers withdraw from 2000 Olympics

JAKARTA (JP): The secretary-general of the Indonesian Rowing Association (PODSI), Budiman Setiawan, has declined to send his rowers to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, saying their participation would be based on charity instead of achievement.

Budiman said Indonesia's only chance to compete in the quadrennial event was to obtain wild card entries.

"Indonesia's rowing team failed to qualify for the Olympics in the Asian Rowing Championship in Japan last month," he told Antara.

The rowing team of Lasmin, Djamaluddin and Anwar competed in the single and double scull events.

Budiman said PODSI would instead prepare its athletes for the 2002 Asian Games to be held in Pusan, South Korea.

"We will prepare our rowing team to attain it's best for the Asian Games. If rowing is featured at the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, we will be better prepared," he said. (ivy)