SEA Games defeat to be studied

SEA Games defeat to be studied

JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the National Sports Council (KONI),
Wismoyo Arismunandar, said Friday that KONI would hold a special
meeting on Tuesday to evaluate athletes' poor performances in the
20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games last week.

Wismoyo said he would request officials from 20 sport
organizations to give their accountability reports in the
meeting.

He also urged the public to wait patiently for the reports,
adding he would quit his job as KONI chairman due to his failure
to retain the country's top medal winning spot in the biennial
event as expected by the public.

"As KONI chairman, I am the country's servant. I am willing to
quit my job if it is considered the best solution. But I ask you
to see the problem objectively. I ask you to wait for the
accountability reports before making any decision."

"I will not look for a scapegoat. Should I resign, I want to
do it according to the right procedure," he said.

For the first time since it took part in the games in 1977,
Indonesia had to bow out to arch rival Thailand and overall
runner up Malaysia by only taking home 44 golds, 43 silvers and
58 bronzes, far less than its estimated 70 golds.

Two years ago in Jakarta, Indonesia claimed 177 of 440 golds
at stake in 33 sports event. With only 21 sport events featured
this year, Thailand reigned supreme with 65 golds, 48 silvers and
56 bronzes.

Malaysia, the host of 2001 Games, was second with 57 gold, 45
silver and 42 bronze.

KONI's officials had earlier blamed the humiliating
performance on the short-term training period and the shortage of
funds which had prevented the athletes from going overseas for
training.

Some top-ranking sports officials also accused Malaysia of
doing everything it could to prevent Indonesia from retaining the
overall medal title, such as unfair drawing and influencing the
referee's judgment particularly in the sports in which
performances were decided by one person's evaluation.

However sports officials have now started to claim
responsibility for the failure, while sports organizations are
preparing to fire coaches who could not prop up their athletes'
performances in the Games.

Indonesia's chef de mission Mochammad Hindarto, was the first
to announce publicly that he was ready to resign as KONI's head
of athletes' development if the public asked him to.

He said KONI had done its duty by calling the sports
organizations to prepare their athletes since early 1998.

Wismoyo followed Hindarto's move by announcing in a ceremony
to commemorate Independence Day on Aug. 17 that he would take
personal responsibility for the failure. (ivy)