RI's best shuttlers will go to SEA Games

RI's best shuttlers will go to SEA Games

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will send its top badminton players
for the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Bandar Seri Begawan
in August, the National Sports Council (KONI) said on Monday.

Mochamad Hindarto, KONI chief for athletes development, said
the participation of the country's best shuttlers in the games
was part of their preparation for international events next year,
including Thomas and Uber Cup championships and Sydney Olympics.

Hindarto discussed the plan with Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar
of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI).

Siregar refused to name the players who would be enlisted in
the SEA Games team.

"We're not talking about first string or second string of
players here, but we decided to send the best team to SEA Games
and we feel the Thomas and Uber Cup teams fit our requirement,"
he said.

Badminton is among 21 sports to be contested at the biennial
Games, which will be held in Brunei for the first time.

Indonesia, the overall winner in the last Games held in
Jakarta, plans to compete in 20 sports: badminton, basketball,
billiards and snooker, bowing, boxing, cycling, soccer, golf,
hockey, karate, pencak silat, sepak takraw, shooting, squash,
swimming, table tennis, tae-kwon-do, tennis, track and field and
traditional boat racing. It will

The Games will be held from Aug. 7 to Aug. 12.

Hindarto said KONI had ordered 20 sport federations to start
training programs for the Games by early April at the latest.

So far, training programs for athletes in track and field,
cycling, swimming and sepak takraw had already started.

Hindarto said athletes should aim to beat or equal the records
of their compatriots set in the 1997 SEA Games during training.
(ivy)