Sports council advises a rethink on training plans

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council, due to financial shortages, has called on all sports organizations whose athletes are now being groomed for the 13th Asian Games to reconsider their tryout plans.

Project officer of national training for the Games, Mohammad Hindarto, said Thursday that overseas stints looked unrealistic because the sports council would provide each athlete with just Rp 5 million (US$588) for his or her trips abroad.

"Instead, we must realize that the monetary crisis is still going on," Hindarto said, reported Antara.

He said a sports body would need a huge amount of funds to sent its athletes abroad, while the budget was very limited. The government has taken Rp 3 billion from the current state budget to help the sports council finance the training programs for the Asiad.

Indonesia plans to field 150 athletes in the quadrennial event, scheduled for Dec. 6 to Dec. 20 in Bangkok.

"I want the organizations to carefully calculate all expenses they have to cover during overseas trials," Hindarto said.

Hindarto said the national amateur boxing association was one of the sports bodies wishing to arrange tryouts.

The boxing body is planning an overseas stint for its pugilists in Cuba, the noted amateur boxing powerhouse in the world.

"Air fares to Cuba are very expensive, not to mention daily expenses during the boxers' stay there," Hindarto said, adding that the living cost in Cuba equals that here.

Indonesia sent four boxers to Cuba prior to the Olympic Games in 1996, but the program failed to live up to its early expectations. Only one of the boxers managed to reach the quarterfinals, while the rest lost in the early rounds.

Hindarto also expressed discontent with the results of the latest fitness tests of athletes being groomed for the Asiad. He said many of them were in poor form, compared to their fitness levels during the 19th Southeast Asian Games in October last year.

"It's our challenge to improve the athletes' physical fitness. I believe we can make it if we give them additional food," he said. (lnt)