Samaranch to visit Jakarta next week

Samaranch to visit Jakarta next week

JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch will pay a private visit to Jakarta on his way to South Korea for an Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) meeting in Seoul.

During his stay in the Indonesian capital he is scheduled to meet with timber tycoon Mohammad Hasan between May 17 and May 19.

Hasan is the chairman of the Indonesian Track and Field Association (PASI) and also president of the OCA.

"Following the visit, he might go together with Mr. Hasan to the OCA meeting in Seoul which will start on May 22," a source at PASI told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The source added that the visit was purely private.

Meanwhile, PASI announced on Friday that it hoped Indonesian athletes would win seven gold medals at the ongoing Junior Track and Field Malaysia Open Championships in Ipoh, which end today.

Gold medals are expected from Novian Suhendra in the men's 400m, Agustinus Ngamel in the men's 100m, Darminah in the women's shot put and disc throw and Erni Eka Sari in the women's triple jump.

The open tournament serves as a trial run for Indonesia, which will hold a similar tournament in Jakarta between Oct. 23 to Oct. 25. (arf)