Siregar still in active service for love of sports

Siregar still in active service for love of sports

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A health scare forced Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar to adopt a
strict diet and exercise regimen.

After undergoing heart surgery in the early 1990s, the
secretary-general of the Badminton Association of Indonesia
(PBSI) has kept to the same routine every weekday morning.

He starts by downing two glasses of water before heading to a
fitness center. A late breakfast consists of a glass of nonfat
milk, orange juice and bread.

Rice is a rarity these days, eaten just twice a month. His
staple foods are tempeh, tofu and fruit; he drinks green tea in
the afternoon, and eats his supper at 5 p.m.

"I still exercise for an hour and a half per day, five times a
week, but I limit it to walking and running on the treadmill at
the fitness center," he said.

He will turn 77 in November, but the lifestyle changes must be
working: The father of five is fit, his voice still resonates and
he has no trouble hearing.

And his spartan diet has done nothing to diminish his passion
and untiring advocacy of sports development.

Siregar continues to share his ideas and vision in PBSI. The
government has also entrusted him with the chairmanship of the
national commission on physical and sports education under the
auspices of the education ministry.

"I serve and dedicate myself to sports in this country. I
think and work 24 hours for sports and never complain about it."

His greatest desire is to see Indonesian sports finally reach
its full potential, considering its population of 215 million.

"We should develop Indonesia with a good image of sports in
the world that would make people at home proud of their country."

Competing in the sporting arena, he believes, is character
building, honing qualities of nationalism, discipline, hard work
and sportsmanship.

His interest in sport began as a boy, when he loved soccer and
other students would leave it to him to organize their
competitions.

"Dealing with sport is a gift to me. I always managed sports
since I was in elementary school," he said.

He studied physical education at the sports institute in
Bandung, and his interest continued as he entered the civil
service. The government sent him to Springfield College in the
United States to obtain his master's in physical education.

When Siregar was 38, Minister of Sports Maladi appointed him
his deputy, making him the youngest deputy minister at his time.

After the ministry was dissolved, he became sports director at
Ministry of Education and Culture from 1967 to 1983, and led the
National Sports Council (KONI) from 1971-86.

Also a successful swimming coach, he retired from the civil
service in 1988, but has remained an enduring presence on the
scene.

It's hard to pick the defining moments from such a long,
distinguished career, but Siregar selects three, which he lists
in descending order of importance.

At the 1977 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, with
the country making its debut at the regional competition, Siregar
was a coach in the Indonesian Swimming Association (PRSI).

Not much was expected of the inexperienced team.

"The public was surprised because we took 18 of the 19 golds
on offer, and Indonesia emerged as overall champions. Ultimately,
they knew that we had sent swimmers to the U.S. to train for two
years, a move that inspired our neighboring countries to do the
same."

Another highlight was at the 1992 Olympics when Siregar, as
PBSI's head of development and a committee for Olympic success,
was able to motivate the players to outstanding success.

Indonesia reaped two golds, one silver and two bronze medals
in badminton -- a huge haul from a country that had only
previously won a silver in archery.

Susy Susanti, who won the women's singles in Barcelona,
dedicated her victory to Siregar, saying that she dreamed he came
to her before the final against Korean Bang Soo Hyun to tell her
she could win.

His proudest achievement of all, however, is only fitting for
someone who has spent his life dedicated to serving sport.

In 1986, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded him
the prestigious Olympic Order.

"It's one of the best moments in my life as only three people
from Indonesia -- Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Maladi and myself
-- have received the honor."