Sutiyoso upset on Games eve

Sat, 11 Oct 1997, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso found last-minute
hitches with several sports facilities on the eve of today's
opening of the 19th SEA Games, and told his officials to spare no
effort to rectify them in the time remaining.

Sutiyoso was particularly upset at the sports hall being used
for the karate competition in North Jakarta, which he said was
appallingly dirty.

The newly appointed governor has been making final inspections
of the various sport facilities since Thursday.

Yesterday, before a ceremony to receive the SEA Games torch
from State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Hayono Isman at
the City Hall, he blurted out his anger before reporters.

"How can it be -- the toilets and the shower rooms are so
dirty! There are no mirrors, no locks on the doors and no
hangers. Where's the locker room?" he said.

He also spotted cracks on the sports hall floor, which he
found dusty. Many water taps were also dripping.

"Who developed this facility?" he asked North Jakarta mayor
Suprawito, who looked confused and embarrassed.

"Although I was born and raised in a village, this is
disgusting," he said of the toilets. "I think foreign athletes
will throw up when they see this."

The Jakarta administration has reportedly spent Rp 18 billion
building sufficient facilities to support the Games.

"I want all stadium and sports venues to be ready on time.
There are no excuses," he said.

"Quit working slowly!" he told his officials at City Hall.

"Don't embarrass Jakarta," he added.

Among the facilities he visited were Danau Sunter (for water
skiing) and North Jakarta Stadium (for karate), the Rawamangun
Velodrome (for cycling), the East Jakarta Stadium (for sepak
takraw) and the Raden Inten Stadium (for gymnastics).

There appeared to be no problems with the facilities in
Senayan, where the Games will be concentrated, including the main
stadium, the venue for tonight's official opening ceremony which
will be led by President Soeharto.

All 10 countries in the region will parade their athletes in
the ceremony: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and host Indonesia.

In spite of fierce rivalry between Indonesia and Thailand for
the overall championship title, President Soeharto has emphasized
the need to instill the spirit of friendship throughout the
Games.

In contrast to the call for an all-out win as often echoed by
sports officials, Soeharto underscored the real significance of
the Games last week .

"Sportsmanship and friendship in the sporting arena can help
create world peace, security and prosperity," he said, because
"sport is a part of life worldwide".

Even before the Games began, two records have been broken: the
number of sports contested, 34, and the number of athletes taking
part: 4,300.

The sports contested include regional sports such as sepak
takraw and pencak silat. Beach volleyball and mountain biking are
making their SEA Games debut here.

Track and field offers the most gold medals with 44. Shooting
comes second with 42, followed by swimming (32), pencak silat and
wrestling, each with 20. At the bottom of the list comes water
polo (1 gold medal) which only consists of a men's team event.

A well-knit blend of dance, music and acrobatic performances
will highlight tonight's ceremony, which starts at 5 p.m.

A team of 40 sky divers from the Indonesian Aerosports
Federation and the Indonesian Armed Forces are scheduled to make
a precision landing in the stadium.

They will carry the flags of the SEA Games, the 10
participating countries and the Games mascot, Hanoman.

Six thousand high school students, who have been training for
months, will show their skills with a card-flashing display of 52
configurations, including logos, the flag of each participating
country and Hanoman.

Spectators who trek out to the Jatiluhur reservoir in West
Java early tomorrow morning will see which country gets the first
medal of the week-long Games. The 1,000m single kayak is due to
finish shortly before 9 a.m.

Wrestling, beach volleyball, karate, mountain bike racing and
track and field are the last events to be wrapped up; all
continue until the very last day of the Games.

The SEA Games Confederation also plans to ease the burden on
the host country by deciding which country will stage the event
at least four years in advance. (07/rsl)

Editorial -- Page 4