Rupiah plunge hits gymnastics body's programs

JAKARTA (JP): The rupiah's collapse continued to take a toll on sports organizations yesterday with the Indonesian Gymnastics Association announcing it was to send home one of its two remaining Russian coaches.

The association's technical commission chairman, Sudjihadi, told reporters after meeting with the National Sports Council's Asiad task force that the association could now only hire one of its foreign coaches.

"The association will only keep Irina Voino to coach the rhythmic event. Alexander Guskov will return to Russia on Jan. 15 due to the rupiah's downturn," said Sudjihadi, adding that each coach received US$3,100 a month.

Three other Russian coaches Iouri Kouznetsov, Eleonora Larissa and Galina Komleva, returned home late last year, after the 19th SEA Games here in October.

"Frankly, we really need the foreign coaches to boost our gymnasts' spirit in practice. We'll monitor the association's financial condition. If it gets better, we might be able to rehire the coaches," he said.

Sudjihadi said that the association has been grooming Jonathan Mangiring Sianturi in the men's artistic and Yulianti in the rhythmic events for the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in December.

Jonathan won five golds in the SEA Games from the vault, high bar, rings, floor exercise and all-around individual event. He also won gold in the team competition. Yulianti won a gold in the team competition.

"We've been grooming all our gymnasts (about two dozen) in a long-term training program since the SEA Games. The association plans to send Yulianti on an overseas training stint to Bulgaria for three months prior to the Asiad.

"But we have to ask Jonathan if he wants to have an overseas tryout because he declined to have one during the SEA Games preparation," Sudjihadi said.

"Jonathan has a great chance to win a medal at the Asiad but the women's artistic gymnasts are too young and they will face tough rivals from China, Japan and South Korea. That's why the association is only sending two gymnasts," he said.

The association will fully finance the training program.

Yachting

Separately, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Yachting and Surfing Association, Raymond Kotambunan, said the council asked the association only to prepare windsurfers and not yachtsmen for the Asiad.

The association plans to field athletes in the men's heavyweight inco, the men's lightweight inco, the men's heavyweight race board, the men's lightweight race board and the women's inco.

"We have a great chance to win the gold in the men's inco heavyweight from Oka Sulaksana. But Abdul Malik Faizal (the men's heavyweight race board) and Yuni Trisnawati (the women's inco) also have chances to win medals although they have to face tough rivals from China," Raymond said.

In the 19th SEA Games, Indonesia won three golds, two silvers and one bronze from yachting.

The association is grooming 13 athletes but the council will only finance five of them.

Raymond said the association was facing financial problems over staging its long-term training, which would start next month.

"We need to have tryouts abroad because we don't have domestic competitions. We also need foreign coaches to boost our athletes' skills. But due to the monetary situation, I think the association cannot afford to pay a foreign coach, who usually receives $1,000 a week," he said.

However, the association is still optimistic that both private sector companies and the Jakarta administration will sponsor the training. (yan)