Soft tennis proposed for 1997 SEA Games

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)