Table tennis' Anton joins Olympic training

Table tennis' Anton joins Olympic training

JAKARTA (JP): The 2000 Olympic Games executive training
director, Arie Sudewo, said on Monday that men's singles table
tennis player Anton Suseno would join the training program for
the quadrennial event.

"I'm sure the training project leader and chairman for the
National Sports Council (KONI), Wismoyo Arismunandar, will give
his approval to invite Anton to join the training program. We
have no problem with the funding. Moreover, only one extra
athlete has joined the training," he said.

KONI has been grooming 71 athletes from 11 sports -- archery,
badminton, boxing, diving, judo, swimming, weightlifting,
windsurfing, taekwondo, tennis and track and field.

Anton finished 15th in the Asian Championships, which was also
an Olympic prequalifying round.

Arie, also KONI's vice chairman, said the council would
provide Rp 500,000 (US$68) in monthly compensation and a Rp
50,000 daily stipend for board and lodging to each athlete during
the duration of training. He said each athlete also received
US$900 for overseas events.

"KONI has decided to finance the athletes for two overseas
tryouts. If they want to compete more, we are asking sports
organizations to finance their transportation and accommodation
fees." He said senior women's tennis player Yayuk Basuki and
Wynne Prakusya received their share to compete in tournaments in
the U.S.

He also said the amount of the board and lodging stipend would
remain unchanged even when the athletes were competing overseas.

"We already set the standard. If they train in Jakarta, they
will only have to pay about Rp 48,000 at the Atlet Century Park
hotel," he said.

Separately, men's pole vaulter Nunung Jayadi, who is being
prepared to compete in the Chinese Taipei Open, said he would
need three months to adapt his new 4.90m pole to enable him to
jump 5.50m, the Olympic qualifying height.

"I have tried to jump the height five times but failed each
time. I need three months to adapt to the new pole before
competing in the Taipei Open in May. Coach Hadi Wacono said if I
can use the new pole, I can jump at least 5.50m," he told Arie
during a visit at the Senayan Madya stadium.

Nunung's personal best was 5.05m set at the 1999 Southeast
Asian (SEA) Games. He eclipsed by 15 centimeters the mark set by
Edward Lasquette of the Philippines in the 1995 Games in Chiang
Mai, Thailand.

"Using the old pole of 4.60m, I can jump at the highest 5.30m
during training," Nunung said.

The Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI) head of
jumping events commission, Eka Nugraha, said that Nunung had a
problem with his power and also concerns about his eligibility to
use the pole.

"If he can manage to adapt within three months, I hope the
Taipei Open will be his first attempt to compete with the new
pole and he can jump over 5.50m," he said.

Women's sprinter Irene Joseph and the men's 4x100m relay team
have qualified from athletics for the Olympics.

Meanwhile, KONI secretary-general Rudolf S. Warouw confirmed
that he would meet with the director of state-owned gas company
PT PGN, Qoyum A. Tjandranegara, to discuss the state enterprise's
stalled donation for Olympic training.

Warouw said that he would provide clarification of the
council's account of the 1999 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Qoyum
had earlier said that he would retain the funding because of
questions about KONI's official audit. (ivy/yan)