Soft tennis proposed for 1997 SEA Games

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Soft Tennis Association asked the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Organizing Committee yesterday to feature the sport as an exhibition event during the games here next year.

Abdul Gafur, chairman of the soft tennis body, said after a meeting with SEA Games committee chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar that seven countries, including Indonesia, have thrown their weight behind the proposal.

"The director general of the world soft tennis body has submitted an official request to the OC after representatives of Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia signed the proposal," Gafur said.

The SEA Games take place here from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19 next year.

Soft tennis is the less muscular version of tennis, in which players hit a sponge ball with a light racket. The court and rules are the same as for normal tennis.

Wismoyo welcomed the request, but said the committee needs to consider it carefully before approving. "We don't want to break any rules if we endorse this proposal," said Wismoyo.

A SEA Games Council regulation says that a sport requires support from at least four countries and should feature competitors from three countries.

The SEA Games Council agreed to pick 34 sports for the 19th SEA Games during a plenary meeting here last August. The Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last year consisted of 28 events.

Soft tennis made its Asian Games debut as a medal event in Hiroshima two years ago. Indonesia, then ranked fifth in the world, sent a team but returned home empty handed.

Wismoyo also said that the committee might approve soft tennis' admission to the SEA Games only if Indonesian players could guarantee a win.

"We have to prove to the other teams that we are the best in this sport," Wismoyo insisted.

Gafur said that Thailand and the Philippines are Indonesia's strongest opponents in soft tennis. (amd)