'Sports officials must resign if Indonesia fails at SEAG'
JAKARTA (JP): Officials from national sports associations must be prepared to step down from their posts if they fail to meet the targets set by the National Sports Council at next year's 19th SEA Games here, an official said.
"Athletes' failure reflects the officials' failure. So as moral responsibility for the failure, the officials concerned should resign," Didit Sudijoto, the Indonesian Boxing Association's secretary-general, said yesterday.
"I'm ready to be fired if our boxers fail to win four golds at the Games," he said.
The boxing body has set the target of grabbing four gold medals at the biennial celebration.
"We should not put the blame on athletes if they fail to achieve the target. Instead it is officials who must take full responsibility for the failure if they cannot provide good training programs and coaches," he said.
Thailand dethroned Indonesia from pole position by capturing the overall title at last year's Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, collecting 157 golds, 98 silvers and 91 bronzes.
Indonesia was forced to play second fiddle with a tally of 77 golds, 67 silvers and 77 bronzes.
The Indonesian boxers only managed five silver and three bronze medals, in stark contrast to what was accomplished by the formidable Thai pugilists who ruled the ring in devastating fashion by sweeping 11 of the 12 golds at stake plus one bronze.
Meanwhile, the National Sports Council is holding a six-day coaching course, which began Monday, as part of its preparations for the Games.
Togi M Hutagaol, chairman of the SEA Games training program, said Indonesia should have started to prepare much earlier for the Games.
Last year's debacle in Chiang Mai, he said, has been evaluated and the council is urging all sports bodies to prepare their best athletes in a concerted effort to regain Indonesia's long- standing status as the region's most powerful sporting nation.
A total of 1,535 athletes are being groomed through the centralized training program for the Games. Following a series of selection trials and tryouts both at home and abroad, 700 athletes will be chosen to don the national colors at the Games, which Indonesia will host for the third time.
The Jakarta Games will offer 1,380 medals in 34 sports; 440 golds, 440 silvers and 500 bronzes.
Athletes village
Meanwhile, Enggartiasto Lukita, a member of the underwriting consortium, said the SEA Games' athletes village construction is still waiting for its blueprint before the city administration issues the construction permit.
"What permit will they issue if they haven't had the blueprint because it's still being processed," he said.
The consortium plans to build the athletes village on a four- hectare lot on the former shooting range in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
The administration has denied receiving a proposal on the construction although the consortium claimed that the proposal was submitted months ago.
Enggartiasto told Antara that "as soon as the administration issues the permit, we'll start the construction."
The administration will prioritize the construction since it is for "the country's benefit".
"The permit is still being processed. The SEA Games' patron board chairman and the council's chairman have instructed the consortium to start the construction," he said.
The US$70-million construction was to have started by the end of October. The village, designed to accommodate some 6,000 athletes, will take 10 months to complete. (yan)