Sports Council waits for Lisa for IOC financial aid

Sports Council waits for Lisa for IOC financial aid

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Women's weight lifter Lisa Rumbewas, who earned a silver
medal for Indonesia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, is expected to
sign the Olympic Solidarity form within the next few days before
the National Sports Council (KONI) submits it to the
International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"We hope she agrees to the details, particularly on the amount
of money she deserves to get," Kusnan Ismukanto, KONI's chief in
charge of foreign affairs, told a media conference on Thursday.

Lisa is among the 11 Indonesians on a list of athletes
entitled to financial assistance from the IOC for training and
tournaments ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The other 10 beneficiaries are cyclists Uyun Muzizah and
Santia Tri Kusuma, lifters Erwin Abdullah and Tanti Pratiwi,
wind-surfer Oka Sulaksana, tennis player Angelique Widjaja,
shuttlers Taufik Hidayat, Ronny Agustinus, Halim Haryanto and
Candra Wijaya.

Except for the last four, the athletes will receive a monthly
disbursement of US$1,000 in financial assistance for a year. The
shuttlers, whose IOC approval was revealed only recently, will
pocket $800.

However, a snag arose when Lisa refused to sign the form as
she would have received only $200 in fees.

The Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding
Association (PABBSI) blamed Lisa's rejection on KONI's failure to
explain the form in detail.

"The money ($200) I had expected Lisa to receive was purely
for fees as the rest would be allocated for coaching, room and
board and other needs during training," PABBSI spokesperson
Alamsyah Wijaya told The Jakarta Post later.

He said the association had left the issue up to KONI to
resolve.

At a meeting between KONI and sports organizations on
Thursday, it was decided that the weight lifters would each
receive $680 each with the balance to go to the coaches as "a
token of appreciation".

It appears that the share of disbursements differs from one
sports organization to the other. The Indonesian Tennis
Association (Pelti) has made the athlete-coach ratio $700 to
$300, while the Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) has set it
at $630 to $370.

The Indonesian Yachting Association (Porlasi) allowed Oka, who
is training himself in Bali, to take the entire sum. The
Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has done the same for
its shuttlers.

The amount, for some athletes, may be deducted further if
their sports organizations make them pay for their room and
board.

"That matter will be left up to the sports organizations'
policies about their respective athletes. Meanwhile, PBSI does
not deduct room and board expenses from the amount," Kusnan said.

KONI secretary-general Oyong Karmayuda said he would contact
Lisa to sign the form immediately before it is submitted to the
IOC.