Sydney-bound athletes urged to skip PON

Sydney-bound athletes urged to skip PON

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
Mahadi Sinambela urged sports organizations' provincial chapters
on Tuesday to allow their athletes to give the 15th National
Games (PON) a miss to focus on the Sydney Olympics.

He said the chapters must prioritize national interests in the
quadrennial international event over PON, which will be held in
Surabaya in June.

Sinambela spoke after the National Sports Council (KONI)
issued a notification letter to sports organizations, saying they
would be held responsible for any injuries to athletes qualified
for the Olympics which were sustained during PON.

"The chapters must consider avoidance of injuries which might
be incurred by athletes competing in PON. We have to prioritize
national interests and the chapter must not think of merely
collecting medals in PON," he said after meeting with
representatives of the Indonesian cycling community.

"Earning PON medals will be useless for some chapters,
including West Java, Central Java and East Java, if their
athletes fail to win Olympics medals due to injury. I hope sports
organizations will act wisely and not become selfish," he said.

Fourteen Indonesians have qualified for the Olympics: five in
men's swimming, three in women's weightlifting and one each in
women's 100m track, women's archery, women's swimming, women's
diving, women's tae kwon do competition and men's windsurfing.

The total does not include Indonesia's traditional stronghold
of badminton, which will continue Olympic qualification until
April 30, 2000. The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) is
hoping 24 shuttlers will qualify.

Sports organizations are gearing up for the Olympic
centralized training program, which will begin on Feb. 21 at the
latest. They will decide which athletes will be sent to compete
in the Olympics based on their training progress reports.

Sinambela said he would invite sports organizations to discuss
competition priorities if they insisted that their athletes take
part in PON.

He said he did not want to put pressure on athletes by setting
medal targets for the Olympics.

"I don't expect much from athletes in the Olympics. But I
think we have a slight chance in the men's doubles event in
badminton."

Sinambela said his office received President Abdurrahman
Wahid's approval of its request for financial assistance for the
Olympic training program.

"KONI asked for Rp 7 billion (US$985,915) from the government
for the training and transportation. We submitted the request to
the President and he recommended that we request it from Minister
of Finance Bambang Sudibyo. I hope he will respond soon."

Sinambela said PON's organizers also requested Rp 10 billion
in financial aid.

"I think that the state does not have much money right now,
because Rp 10 billion is worth much more today than it was 10
years ago." (ivy)