SIWO looking for ideal KONI chairman
SIWO looking for ideal KONI chairman
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A one-day workshop will be held in an effort to formulate the
criteria for selecting the next chairman of the Indonesian Sports
Council (KONI), organizers said here on Tuesday.
Organized by the Jakarta Sports Journalists' Association (SIWO
Jaya), the workshop is scheduled to take place in the Hilton
Hotel, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.
"The workshop takes the theme ... empowering national sports
toward international achievement. It is an expression of our
concern about national sports ahead of a probable change in
KONI's leadership next year," Mike Wangge of the organizing
committee said.
Mike said the question of who would lead KONI for the next
term was important as the future of Indonesian sport was at
stake.
"Through the one-day forum, we expect to receive feedback from
the participants about the ideal KONI leader," he said.
Present as keynote speakers will be Toho Cholik Mutohir, the
director-general of sports at the Ministry of Education, Taufik
Yudi, a lecturer at the Jakarta State University and M.F.
Siregar, an specialist advisor to the Badminton Association of
Indonesia (PBSI).
KONI is currently chaired by Wismoyo Arismunandar, whose
second term should come to an end in February when KONI holds a
national congress.
Wismoyo is scheduled to open the workshop, but has vowed not
to influence its proceedings.
"Wismoyo has confirmed that he will not run for a third term,"
Mike said.
Wismoyo, who took over the post in 1994 from Surono, has been
the subject of criticism as a result of Indonesia's lack of
sporting achievements over the past three years, not only in Asia
but in the South East Asian region as well.
The country's declining sporting performance began at the 1999
SEA Games when it not only relinquished domination to Thailand
but, in an unprecedented turnaround, also ended up behind
neighbor and rival Malaysia.
The slump continued last year in the same arena, when Thailand
and Malaysia swapped the top two places while Indonesia was once
again consigned to third place.
At a higher level of competition, during the recent Asian
Games in Busan, South Korea, last October, Indonesia was unable
to match the number of gold medals it took in Bangkok four years
ago, taking home only four this time around.
Mike said that about 120 participants were expected to attend
the workshop, the results of which would be submitted to the KONI
congress as a guide for choosing its next leader.