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)