SEA Games organizers appeals to sponsors

SEA Games organizers appeals to sponsors

JAKARTA (JP): SEA Games organizers say they are hard-pressed
to meet the rising costs of many sports organizations as they
prepare for the biennial regional sports event.

Togi Hutagal, chairman of the 19th SEA Games training program,
has urged all organizational patrons to start providing financial
assistance to the associations.

Speaking on Thursday, Togi said the consortium of
organizational sponsors of the Indonesian team had made
commitments totaling Rp 35 billion (US$14.6 million), but that
not all of these funds had yet been paid.

"If the (sports) organizations need more fund to finance their
training and to buy equipment, the council can only urge the
patrons to fulfill their commitments to support the development
of sport," he added.

The cost of preparing athletes for the games varies between
sports. Equipment required by the archery team, for example,
costs Rp 1.5 million per athlete per month.

Togi said that the council had allocated Rp 3 million per
athlete for an overseas stint of unspecified length some time
before the Games.

"If any of the sports organizations need more cash than the
amount we have allocated, we'll try to subsidize them with
assistance from their respective patrons," he said.

Among other sports, boxing is being sponsored by tire
manufacturer PT Gadjah Tunggal, rowing by timber company Jayanti
and yachting by the Ciputra Group.

Since November, the SEA Games organizers have received only Rp
5 billion of the Rp 35 billion promised by organizational
sponsors, Togi said.

"The whole budget is handed over in one go," he added. "We
have to plan the allocation month-by-month and the underwriting
consortium makes payments each month."

The consortium of organizational sponsors is chaired by
President Soeharto's second son Bambang Trihatmodjo. Apart from
agreeing to finance Indonesia's preparations for the Games, the
consortium has also agreed finance the staging of the event in
Jakarta, including the construction of accommodation for
participating athletes.

Togi said that of the 1,214 athletes scheduled to compete in
the games, only 1,013 had so far arrived. Some have not been able
to come yet because they are still undergoing decentralized
training.

Training for Sepak takraw, women's soccer, fencing and water
polo has yet to commence. However, as of today, each sports
organization is expected to have begun training, Togi said, as
quoted by Antara.

Meanwhile, some pencak silat athletes say that they would like
to move out of their newly-constructed dormitory in East Jakarta,
citing unhappiness with the food provided there. Instead, they
want to continue their training at the Army's Special Forces'
headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.

"Even when we were only sleeping in a barracks, the food was
good. But here, the rooms are like those of a five-star hotel but
the food is awful," complained one of the disgruntled athletes,
requesting anonymity.

The Games organizers, which has run short of accommodation for
participants in the centralized training program, has recently
borrowed a dormitory at the Navy's Dental Laboratory in
Pejompongan, Central Jakarta. (yan)