Ri's beach volleyballers vow to boost ranking

Ri's beach volleyballers vow to boost ranking

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian men's beach volleyball team of
Muchammad Nurmufid and Markoji are aiming to improve their world
ranking in the ninth leg of the World Beach Volleyball Grand Prix
Championships to be held here from Friday until Sunday.

"We hope to move up at least six places to 17th spot in the
world rankings," Nurmufid told a press conference yesterday.

The duo, who competed at the Atlanta Centennial Olympics in
July, have had only 10 days to prepare for the competition after
playing in the 14th National Games. But they said with guarded
optimism that they would meet their target.

"We've been playing in many international tournaments so we
don't have a problem with only 10 days practice," Nurmufid said.

"All the teams taking part here stand an equal chance of
winning," Markoji added.

The tournament's qualifying round started here yesterday. Only
eight teams from the qualifying round will enter the main draw
tomorrow, joining 24 other pairs who automatically qualified on
their world rankings.

Another Indonesian team, ranked 24 in the world, of Irilkhum
Sofana and Agus Salim has also qualified automatically.

Olympic silver medalists Mike Dodd and Michael Whitmarsh of
the United States and bronze medalists Mark Heese and John Child
of Canada are favored to win the US$150,000 tournament, to be
played on the Senayan clay tennis courts which have been modified
into a sand court.

"I think staging a tournament in an artificial venue is better
because the wind is not as strong as on the beach," Nurmufid
said.

Christopher St John "Sinjin" Smith, dubbed King of the Beach,
hailed Indonesia as a smart innovator in the development of beach
volleyball by staging the event on a tennis court. He said that
beach-less countries could follow in Indonesia's footsteps.

Rita Subowo, chairperson of the organizing committee, said the
Indonesian Volleyball Association had decided to build an
artificial venue instead of using Ancol beach because Ancol beach
did not meet the standards set by the world volleyball body
(FIVB).

Four of five Indonesian teams will race for berths in the main
draw tomorrow. Supri/Alfinus will play Japan's
Matsunaga/Watanabe; Leonard/Janwatin will meet Surman/Durrant of
Australia; Iwan/Anjas will take on Anfiloff/Richardson of
Australia; and Supriadi/Arief will play Frisby-Smith/Thompson of
Australia.

Rita, who is also the executive director of the Indonesian
volleyball body, expects that at least one of the other national
pairs will qualify. (yan)