Sports academy falls behind the times

Sports academy falls behind the times

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ragunan in South Jakarta was once known for more than its zoo.
Its athletics academy, home to a junior and high school in a
compound replete with training facilities, was the place where
1990s badminton queen Susy Susanti, former world badminton
champion Icuk Sugiarto, world top 20 tennis player Yayuk Basuki
and her husband Suharyadi studied and trained.

It was founded on a noble idea -- to ensure the security of an
education to fall back on for athletes once their golden days
were over.

"The location is excellent," said Susy, who lived at Ragunan
in 1985-86 and continued to study there after joining the
national training center, at the time located in Senayan, Central
Jakarta.

"You were really focused because everything was there for you
-- a place to train, meals, study -- so you didn't get tired
traveling about."

But the academy in South Jakarta is producing fewer top
athletes these days, with a variety of problems contributing to
the drought.

Physically, it also looks rough around the edges, needing a
good overhaul to bring it up to the times.

Vice principal Dadang Darmawan, who has served the academy for
15 years, admitted there had been a decline.

"It's only in tae kwon do that we still have a good athlete
like Ika Dian Fitria, who was the champion at the 2000 World
Junior Championship."

He said it would take a combined effort from the school
administration, city government, the Ministry of National
Education and the Office of the State Minister of Sports and
Youth Affairs to find a solution.

The problems involve proper recruitment and admission of
talented students, improving coaching methods and upgrading
technology to assist athletes' performance.

Talented athletes in sports such as badminton would prefer to
train in clubs, with better facilities and programs, than at the
academy.

"It (the present situation) is ironic because some other
countries like Malaysia emulated the concept of Ragunan academy.
I think now they have made better progress than us," he said.

The academy was established in 1977 during the administration
of Jakarta Governor Ali Sadikin, who believed good athletes
should also have excellent opportunities to study.

Its establishment was supported by the National Sports Council
(KONI), the Ministry of Education and Jaya Raya badminton club
owned by property tycoon Ciputra.

At present, its 200 enrolled athletes in 12 sports --
athletics, badminton, basketball, volleyball, aquatic sports
(swimming and diving), archery, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, table
tennis and tae kwon do -- are sponsored by the education
ministry through its sports directorate, with financial
assistance from the state budget.

A further 60 athletes in six sports are sponsored by the
Jakarta Administration, 24 badminton players are sponsored by
Jaya Raya and several others are sponsored by relevant sports
organizations.

One Ragunan alumni, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
said today's group of athletes were generally not as skilled as
in the past. "It seems they more interested in the commercial
aspects of sports, not achieving results."

Athletes sponsored by the sports directorate are recruited
based on a recommendation from sports agencies and organizations
at the local level.

They must undergo a battery of tests, from a health exam,
physical aptitude, skills test, psychological testing and
academic qualification.

Admission provides free accommodation and meals, free tuition
fees and an allowance. Athletes can also use the facilities in
the schools: sports halls for the 12 sports registered in the
schools, a medical center, auditorium and a mosque.

Sports programs in the schools run daily except on Sunday. The
athletes start training from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

After studying from 8 a.m.-12:45 p.m, the athletes start
practicing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for indoor activities and from 3
p.m. to 6 p.m. for outdoor activities.

Tae kwon do athlete Julius Fernando of West Java, who is a
student in the high school, said he was satisfied with the
coaching.

"I feel OK in the school, but I can't speak for the other
sports," Julius, who won the junior light middleweight in the
ASEAN tae kwon do championship in Yogyakarta in December last
year, said.

Susy, who remembers the prestige of studying at Ragunan and
rubbing shoulders with other future champions, believes it needs
commitment from all parties involved, especially sports
administrators, to inject the necessary funds to support the
school's activities.

"There is still a role for Ragunan, especially in providing
focused training for athletes. We just need to recapture that
focus, and it will take the proper budget to do that."