Surono is ready for another term at KONI
Surono is ready for another term at KONI
JAKARTA (JP): Surono, the incumbent president of the National
Sports Governing Body (KONI), said yesterday he was ready to hold
his position should he be elected again in the body's seventh
congress slated for Jan. 16.
"Should I be entrusted to chair KONI again, the first thing
I'm going to do is scout talent," Surono said after officially
inducting a number of administrators for the body's West Nusa
Tenggara provincial chapter in Mataram, the province's capital.
Scouting talents, according to Surono, was a crucial task
inadequately done by most of 50 sports organizations placed under
KONI's patronage.
Many attributed Indonesia's poor showing at the latest Asian
Games in Hiroshima a few months ago to KONI's failure in grooming
the athletes it sent to the Games and in serving as a good patron
for the various sports organizations it has under its auspices.
Surono acknowledged this but said that KONI had done its best
to prepare the Indonesian Asiad squad and blamed the
participation of world-class athletes from China and the former
Soviet republics for Indonesia's paltry medals collection.
Surono emphasized that in women's shooting, for instance,
Indonesia had sent its best team, that is, the one which broke
the Southeast Asian Nation Games' record.
But it was beyond KONI's anticipation that the team proved
powerless against China, who shifted the world's marks and left
Indonesia lamentably in fourth place, he added.
Surono stressed that actually, it was each sports
organization, not KONI, which should be counted responsible for
the poor performance of its own athletes.
KONI's task was confined to serving as an umbrella body and
providing funds for those organizations, Surono argued.
Meanwhile, KONI's vice chairman, Soesilo Soedarman, earlier
said he was not ready to take Surono's mantle due to his
overwhelming state duties.
Soesilo, who is also Coordinating Minister for Political
Affairs and Security, is also the incumbent chairman of
Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Body Building
Association (PABBSI). (arf)