RI to re-establish Olympic committee

RI to re-establish Olympic committee

JAKARTA (JP): The re-establishment of Indonesia's National Olympic Committee (KOI) seems to just need the formal go ahead at a three-day congress held by the National Sports Council (KONI) next week.

"We have discussed separating KOI from KONI since our meeting in January last year," Timbul Thomas Lubis, chairman of the committee for the Jan. 23-25 congress said yesterday.

"The decision is all up to the congress," he added. Timbul suggested that KONI should have another meeting shortly after the congress to name members of KOI, saying that the upcoming congress is KONI's, not KOI's.

Timbul, however, insisted that KONI and KOI, though they differ in terms of duties, will be a unified sports authority.

Timbul explained that KOI's athletes are KONI members but not vice versa. Various ethnic martial arts such as pencak silat, kempo, karate and taekwondo have not yet been recognized by the International Olympic Council (IOC) and consequently, are not and cannot be put under KOI's patronage.

KOI is responsible for the grooming and sending of Indonesian athletes to any international multievents sports meets while KONI sees to home sports events.

According to KONI's charters, both organizations live under the same roof and are controlled by the same persons. "If KONI represents Indonesia in international events, it functions as KOI," Timbul said.

Deputy chairman of the committee I.G.K. Manila said it was up to the congress to decide whether KONI's and KOI's chairmanship posts should be separated. Both are now held by KONI's chairman Soerono.

But the congress does not have the right to intervene in KOI's internal affairs because KOI has its own statues, Manila added.

Which is where the problem lies, since KONI, founded with a presidential decree in 1966, is under the government's control. "It is certainly incompatible with the Olympic Charters in which politics can't intervene in sports affairs," said Timbul.

Too many

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said following Indonesia's poor performance in the Asian Games last year that KOI should be revived. Hayono said Olympic events need special treatment by an organization outside KONI.

"KONI has too many sports under its auspices. It handles both organized sports and board games. If we are to fully adhere to Olympic rules, we should have two separate bodies, one of which should be concentrated on the development of official Olympic sports only," Hayono said.

KOI had its own secretary before 1986. The late Suworo was the last KOI secretary before KONI found it difficult to control the two bodies.

Almost 600 KONI's members and observers will take part in the congress which will cost Rp 600 million (US$275,200) at the Senayan indoor stadium. Election of KONI's new president, the center of a heated debate during the last few months, will cap the three-day meeting.

Timbul said the committee had yet to receive news of who would run the election campaign. Only 77 of 576 members invited have the right to vote during the election. The 77 voters comprise 27 chairpersons of KONI's provincial chapters and 50 chairpersons of all sports and sports-related organizations under KONI's auspices.

President Soeharto is expected to declare the congress open during a ceremony at the State Palace on Monday. (amd/arf)