RI students to compete in tae kwon do c'ship

JAKARTA (JP): Seven students are being groomed in a training program in Batam in preparation for the 6th World Tae Kwon Do Inter-University Championship in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from March 29 to April 2.

Chief executive of the training program, Adrian Lumowa, said the taekwondoins were Syafrisal Tanjung from Jakarta, Ramadhani from South Sumatra, Lambok and Bayu from West Java, Marce Latusalo from Maluku, and Alfian and Farida Yuni from Yogyakarta.

"We have targeted a minimum of two bronzes in the championship, the same number of medals we earned when we competed for the first time in 1986. Hopefully, they can earn more than bronzes," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He noted it was only the second time for Indonesian students to compete in the event.

"Since 1986, we have been unable to take part in the five competitions because of the poor situation and condition in Indonesia. In addition, the competition also was not held regularly."

He said the Indonesian Tae Kwon Do Association (TI) planned to reduce the number of taekwondoins to four before leaving for Taiwan.

Syafrisal will compete in the men's flyweight division, Lambok and Ramadhani in the men's finweight division, Marce in the women's finweight, Farida in the women's flyweight, Bayu in the lightweight and Alfian in the featherweight.

Adrian, who is the association's official in charge of students and college section, said it planned to send the taekwondoins to Singapore in early March for brief overseas training.

"We have plans to bring the taekwondoins to Singapore for a tryout. But we are waiting for financial support from sponsors."

He said the association needed about Rp 200 million (US$27,000) for the training preparation, transportation and accommodation in Taiwan.

"We are still looking for more sponsorships. We are optimistic that our young taekwondoins can go, because we have already received support from Pak Noegroho Djajoesman, the former Jakarta Police chief," he said, referring to Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, who is now the head of the National Police Staff and Leadership School in Bandung, West Java.

He refused to mention the amount of funding he received from Noegroho. "There's no need to talk about it. If I mention the amount, you will be questioning from where he got the money."

He also said that the association's deputy chairman Christ Taenar Wiluan provided a training center and boardinghouse for the taekwondoins in Batam. Noegroho accompanied association chairman Maj. Gen. Suharto in his visit to the training center on Saturday. (ivy)