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."