Sydney's Olympics still on agenda: KONI

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) has assured that rising political tension between Indonesia and Australia concerning East Timor will not affect its participation in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

KONI's secretary-general Rudolf Warouw said on Monday that Indonesia would take part in the Olympics despite growing anti- Australian sentiment in Indonesia in recent days. Some of them have been a reaction to widespread protests in Australia targeting Indonesian interests.

Warouw said Indonesia also wanted to avoid sanctions from international sports federations, which would be applied if an athlete failed to perform in the quadrennial event despite qualifying.

"I have received confirmation that the current political situation will not affect our bilateral ties in sports," he said.

Warouw said that he and KONI's deputy chairman Harsuki would attend the chef de mission meeting in Sydney from Sept. 22 to Sept. 25, with items to be discussed including the athletes' accommodation and transportation and sports facilities.

Major Indonesian cities have witnessed anti-American and Australian protests amid allegations that Canberra is meddling in Indonesia's domestic affairs regarding East Timor.

Some protesters, who rallied in front of Australian diplomatic missions and other interests, were also enraged at the burning of Indonesian flags in Australia.

National athletes in several sports, including swimming, surfing, track and field, tae kwon do and archery, have already qualified for the Olympics.

Warouw said that KONI sent letters to the sports organization whose athletes would perform in the Olympics to arrange their training program.

"We will discuss the program in a meeting early in October," the retired Army brigadier-general said.

He said that KONI would ask the government to provide financial support for the training center, which is scheduled to begin at the end of October or early November.

KONI will also seek extra funding from other sources, including state enterprises.

"The state minister of youth affairs and sports has committed to funding the training program for the Olympics. I hope we'll receive the support from the government," he said.

He refused to mention the amount of money needed for the training. "The state minister asked us to arrange a proposal for the training program and the budget needed as well."

He said that KONI would prioritize the sports and the athletes who would perform in the Games because of the fund restrictions. He said that some sports should target improving their athletes' world rankings instead of setting their sights on medals.

"For example, the women's archery team has a bigger opportunity than the women's individual. Our swimmers, sprinters and distance runners will find it impossible to beat the world's top athletes. But they should try to improve their world rankings and make an effort to enter the world's top eight or top 16."

He also said that the athletes could boost their motivation by realizing the importance of the occasion.

"They will be very honored to have been allowed to perform in a world sports event like the Olympics," he said. (ivy)