Sports law first step in improving athletes' welfare
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.