Sports council wants Golden Garuda in GBHN

Sports council wants Golden Garuda in GBHN

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) aims to push
for inclusion of its ambitious Golden Garuda project in the State
Policy Guidelines (GBHN) to ensure the new government will
support sports development in the country.

KONI vice chairman Arie Sudewo said on Thursday that officials
from the council, the office of the state minister of youth
affairs and sports, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry
of Education and Culture would gather on Friday to devise a draft
of the project.

"Hopefully, we can finish the draft tomorrow to be brought to
the session on state guidelines for the General Session of the
People's Consultative Assembly soon," he said.

Arie said that inclusion of the project in the five-yearly
guidelines was expected to prod the government to give more
support, particularly financial assistance, to sports
development, including the goal to improve achievements.

"Through including the project in the guidelines, hopefully
there will be the commitment of the sports community to develop
sports in the country."

Among the project's aims is a minimal sixth-place finish for
Indonesian athletes in the 2006 Asian Games. Indonesia was 11th
with six gold medals in the Games last year.

"Generally, we are estimating spending about Rp 100 billion
(US$12.8 million) per year which will be taken from the state
budget. The figure could be supplemented from the provincial
budgets," Arie said.

The government budgets about Rp 60 billion annually for
sports, youth affairs and educational activities throughout the
country.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Minister of Youth Affairs and
Sports Yassin Muhyiddin said on Wednesday that Indonesia's
decision to withdraw from bidding to host the 2006 Asian Games
would make it easier for Malaysia as the ASEAN bidding nation.

Indonesia's State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Agung
Laksono said previously that the decision to withdraw was meant
to boost the ASEAN spirit of togetherness.

Muhyiddin said he would arrange a meeting between KONI
officials and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.

He said that despite increasing support from ASEAN members,
Malaysia must work more seriously to prepare its bid for the
Asiad.

"We will do our best as we have planned but we must apply the
right strategy and be careful with the latest developments," he
said as quoted by Antara.

He added that he was confident of Malaysia's chances of
winning.

Other bidders are Qatar, Syria, India, Uzbekistan and Hong
Kong who will try to secure the votes of the 43 members of the
Olympics Council of Asia (OCA).

Muhyiddin urged leaders of Malaysian sports organizations to
lobby their colleagues in the region to support the bid. (yan)