RI to rain young boxers for 2000 Olympic Games

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association is looking ahead to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney by drawing up a long-term national training program for school students.

The association's secretary-general, Didit Sudijoto, said yesterday that the program, jointly organized with the Ministry of Education and Culture, will, from next January, start selecting talented boxers aged 16 or 17.

Former top national boxer and the association's technical director, Ferry Moniaga, has been named to oversee the talent scouting.

The training program will run in line with the school calendar, beginning in July.

During their stints here, all the students will move to the Ragunan Athletes School in South Jakarta.

"A boxing talent usually reaches his golden period at 20 years old. So three years of rigorous training should give him enough exposure before entering the 2000 Olympics," Didit was quoted by Antara as saying.

The association will not pick a foreign coach for the school- training program. Instead, a technical director from Cuba, Julio Lee Hechavarria, will oversee the program. Lee is expected to arrive here in January and will start his job with a series of coaching clinics.

The 38-year-old Cuban was a former boxer and is a graduate of the Leningrad Sports Institute.

Aside from recruiting students, the association will also call on other boxers to join its training program for the Olympics. "This will enable us to select the best boxers more easily," Didit said.

Didit said that Lee would also help his fellow Cuban coach Isidoro Trotman groom Indonesian boxers preparing for the 19th SEA Games here next October.

The association has extended Trotman's two-year contract for one more year in its bid to win at least four gold medals at the SEA Games. (amd)