SEAG team plans spectator campaign

JAKARTA (JP): The Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee promised yesterday to learn from the recent National Games which failed to attract the attention of Jakartans.

Ishadi SK, the committee's deputy for communication and publications, said that the organizers plan to stage a campaign on the Games program by the end of this year.

"We have only six months for the campaign due to the fasting month and Idul Fitri holidays early next year and the general election in May," he said.

The purpose of the campaign is to encourage more people to come and watch all matches at all venues.

Ishadi said that the organizers and the underwriting consortium, which is chaired by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, expects to launch the official logo and mascot for the Games in December.

The organizers also plan to stage a photo exhibition, athlete- fans get-togethers and face-to-face meetings with top athletes to add spice to the Games.

"Who knows, maybe we can invite Michael Jordan or Shaq O'Neall to arrive during the Games," he said.

No less than 2,000 journalists from the 10 participating countries will cover the Games. The media center will be in a 5,500-square-meter room in the Jakarta Convention Center basement.

Ishadi said that the six national TV stations will run a pool coverage of the 10-day Games. He will feature the plans at the Asian Broadcasting Union meeting in Hong Kong this week and the International Sports Journalists Conference in Malaysia two weeks later. (yan)