RI to field 36 in track and field meet

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has selected 36 boys and girls to line up the national team for the Milo ASEAN School track and field championships here this weekend.

Spokesperson of the Indonesian Amateur Track and Field Association, Nia Sarinastiti Regar, said yesterday that all the athletes were scouted during the just concluded national junior and school competition.

The central Javanese, overall winners in the national meet, dominated the roster with 10 athletes. Runner-up Irian Jaya, however, was less fortunate. Although it won five golds and four silvers, only its 100-meter hurdles runner Santi Nelwan received an invitation for international duty.

Jakarta, although bagging only a gold and six silvers, was granted the second biggest quota after Central Java with five athletes.

The track and field body had announced earlier that the winners and runners-up in the national championships would qualify for the ASEAN competition.

Nia said that all but one of the Irianese received marching orders from the national team's selectors because they were no longer school students. "These are high school graduates, fit for junior events, not school competitions," she explained.

The track and field body also suggested yesterday that the national selectors give Yon Daryono and Bambang Siswanto from Central Java coaching jobs in the national team. Among the country's most successful coaches, they demanded the withdrawal of their athletes from the national team on Saturday, after learning that they had missed out and wouldn't make it onto the team.

"We need these two coaches because their athletes are potential winners in the ASEAN meet," Nia said. (amd)