Rita Subowo named PBVSI chairwoman

JAKARTA (JP): Rita Subowo was elected chairwoman of the Indonesian Volleyball Association (PBVSI), replacing Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, better known as Tutut, during a two-day congress on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6.

Rita said on Saturday her first step as chairwoman would be to increase the number of tournaments throughout the country by cooperating with the organization's provincial chapters.

"We have difficulty finding talented young players .... We will urge the chapters to improve the athlete development program by grooming players between the ages of 9 and 19 before they join the national team," she was quoted by Antara as saying.

Rita has yet to announce her program, but said she would focus on the 15th National Games in Surabaya from June 19 to June 30 and the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur. (yan)