Sports bill shows concern for athletes' welfare once
Sports bill shows concern for athletes' welfare once
Moch. N. Kurniawan The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The sports community's long-sought goal for the government to pay attention to outstanding athletes once their competitive days are over is a step closer to realization.
The bill on sports, which was debated on Friday at the National Sport Council headquarters in Senayan, Central Jakarta, stipulates the various rewards that athletes who have achieved in their sport are entitled to from the central government, regional government and other sources.
They may take the form of insurance, pension schemes and job promotions, as well as scholarships, bonuses, and honorary medals.
Besides athletes, officials of sports organizations and supporting staff -- like referees, teachers and medical staff -- with excellent achievements would also be rewarded.
State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault, KONI chairman Agum Gumelar and officials from several sports organizations attended the discussion.
Details must be formulated in a presidential decree, but, once effected, the measures would give athletes' recourse and certainty on their entitlements.
Most athletes are dependent on one-time bonuses offered by their respective associations, the government or corporations for achievement at the national or international level.
However, the informal nature of the provision of bonuses as well as the bureaucratic structure of sports organizations -- allowing for "deductions" to be made before bonuses reach the athletes -- has led to disputes.
On Tuesday, Athens Olympic badminton men's singles gold medalist Taufik Hidayat was involved in a public argument with Badminton Association of Indonesia director Icuk Sugiarto over the division of a bonus.
Former swimmer Elfira Rosa Nasution said the measures would give athletes peace of mind to focus on their sport.
"Getting fitting rewards is what athletes need, so I am glad to hear about the sports bill and its clause on rewards," she said, noting there should be specific rewards for a world or Asian champion.
Chairman of the Indonesian Drumband Association Didit S., which is a member of KONI, said the reward system was long overdue, with many former athletes living in poverty.
"For me, 98 percent of the content of the bill is good, so we need to speed up the deliberation of the bill in the House of Representatives and endorse it."
Adhyaksa pledged to push for the swift endorsement of the bill.
Although often providing jobs to former athletes in state companies, the country still lags behind its neighbors in Asia in providing welfare measures.
Malaysia announced on Tuesday it would provide a pension scheme to medal-winning athletes based on a South Korean model. Payments would range from US$600 to @1,000 monthly.