Sports body urges more sponsorships
Sports body urges more sponsorships
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI) hopes that
more companies will support more track and field athletes,
especially those with considerable achievement, in an effort to
woo more new talent to the sports.
"The support, such as rewards, when given to athletes who
excel in their disciplines will surely motivate other athletes to
follow, which in turn will create healthy competition," PASI
secretary-general Tigor Tanjung said on Tuesday.
"On the other hand, such corporate involvement is an effective
way of promoting the company and its products," he added.
Tigor was speaking during the presentation of motorcycles from
PT Pan Jianshe Milinia Indonesia to female middle-distance runner
Supriati Sutono and pole vaulter Ni Putu Desi Margawati, who won
gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur last
month.
Supriati won the women's 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter events
in record-breaking times. She improved the 5,000m record from 16
minutes and 11.60 seconds to 16:08.93 and the 10,000m record from
34:02.26 to 33:50.06.
Supriati, however, failed to smash her 1,500m record of
4:21.50 and had to be content with the silver. Vietnamese Pham
Dinh Khanh grabbed the gold medal in 4:21.87, to leave Supriati's
record intact for the next two years.
Desi set a maiden record for the women's pole vault event by
leaping 3.90 meters, a good 10 centimeters lower than her own
personal best.
President of the motorcyle distributor company, Henry Sung,
said in his remarks that the reward of two motorcycles was an
early step of his company's involvement in sports development in
the country.
"The company still needs to acquire the knowledge of how to
support the sports industry here because we are a new player. We
need to learn what the rules are," Sung told reporters.
"We will deal with all proposals and evaluate them in such a
way that our involvement can affect the larger part of the
community," he added.
Tigor also invited the company to sponsor athletics meets in
the future, despite the fact that the sports remain unable to
attract huge spectators.
As for the Asian Games preparations, Tigor said that so far
PASI had proposed three athletes to the National Sports Council
(KONI) for a continental sports meet, to be held in Pusan, South
Korea next year. The training session for the Asiad has been set
to begin next January.
The candidates are Desi, woman sprinter Irene Truitje Joseph
and woman hammer thrower Yurita Aryani.
"We believe they have a great chance of matching their Asian
peers," Tigor said.
"It is up to KONI whether to accept all the names or not. Once
accepted, PASI will prepare a long-term training program for
them, including hiring foreign coaches or sending them abroad."
Tigor said that PASI badly needed a foreign coach for Yurita
as her event was a technical one that required the latest
techniques.
"We have an intention to send her to Australia. It will be
ideal for her to prepare herself for the Asian Games there for
about nine months. We are approaching an Australian coach who
gave us a coaching clinic earlier this year."
He said that if KONI refused to cover the overseas stint
proposal, PASI would look for other arrangements.
As for Irene, Tigor said KONI had agreed to provide her a
foreign coach from Jamaica as part of a reciprocal deal for an
Indonesian badminton coach. For Desi, PASI will keep Hadi Wacono
to improve Desi's performance.