Sports law first step in improving athletes' welfare
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After years of complaints about the sorry fate of many athletes in retirement, the newly passed sports law -- including a section on entitlements for outstanding achievement -- is supposed to provide greater peace of mind.
For badminton great Susy Susanti, it is simply a promising start, with the government needing to step up to bat with concrete measures.
"Don't make promises, give us the proof," the 1992 Olympic women's singles gold medalist, four-time All England winner and 1993 world champion said on Wednesday.
She noted that many bills passed into law were worth nothing more than the paper they were printed on amid a lack of implementation.
"If there is no implementation, then what is the law meant for? I wouldn't allow my children to become athletes," said the 34-year-old mother of two.
Susy also feared the government would hold off on providing the rewards for athletes amid the possibility of an economic crisis.
The bill on sports, first mooted when the state ministry on youth and sports affairs was established in 1983, was finally passed into law on Tuesday, three days before National Sports Day.
The National Sports Council presented it to the House in 1997 but it was stuck in legislative limbo, undergoing revisions as input was sought from various parties.
Many in the sports community decried the delay in its passage and pointed to the declining achievements of national athletes as it languished in the House.
The law, consisting of 24 chapters with 92 articles, covers sports institutions, funding, sports management, the government's and public's share of responsibility in sports activities as well as doping and its punishment.
Article 86 on entitlements for outstanding achievement has gained particular attention, especially with the arrest of jobless former world boxing champion Ellyas Pical earlier this year for alleged drug dealing and stories of other former national athletes eking out a living.
The law states those entitled to rewards range from athletes, sports organizations and others involved in sports; parties providing them can be the central or regional government, sports organizations, nonsports organizations and/or individuals.
Entitlements range from "facilitation" for the achiever, scholarships, insurance, employment, promotions, honorary awards, citizenship, a pension fund, welfare and other benefits.
However, a presidential instruction is required to flesh out the details of the reward system.
Purnomo, the country's top men's sprinter in the 1980s, and current women's national bowler Putty Armein said ensuring the athletes' futures was most important.
"Of course, what we need are concrete rewards, like a pension fund, rather than honorary awards," said Purnomo.
Susy said the granting of citizenship to non-Indonesian sports figures who have helped the country's athletes "should have been done a long time ago".
She remembered Chinese coach Tong Sinfu, who was instrumental in developing the games of men's singles champions Ardy B. Wiranata, Joko Supriyanto and her own husband, Alan Budikusuma, in the 1980s.
When he was unable to get citizenship after 13 years here, Tong returned to China.