Tae kwon do coach Oh reassigned as consultant
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Taekwondo Association (TI), citing the need for "regeneration" in its coaching ranks, has replaced head coach Oh Il Nam with Rizon Oktolibsa of West Java.
The decision was announced in a letter from the association, signed by its chairman Suharto on Dec. 28, to the National Sports Council (KONI). The latter received the letter on Monday.
Oh, a South Korean who was formerly the coach of the Indonesia Awakens (IA) sports development program, is now its coaching consultant, Suharto wrote.
"Our intention to replace Oh with a local coach is for the regeneration of coaches in the country," association secretary- general Ade Lukman reiterated on Tuesday.
However, Oh had been the target of criticism in recent months for failing to get results at important events.
In October, former national tae kwon do coaches Alex Harijanto from Central Java and Dasantio Prihadi from West Java said Oh should be dismissed.
They argued that his athletes had failed to achieve satisfactory results at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the Asian Games and the Olympics.
Alex recommended Oh return to his position of trainer, which he was originally hired as in 1994. He had been named head coach on an event basis since 2003.
The country swept six golds at the 1997 SEA Games in Jakarta, but came home with a disappointing one gold at the 1999 event and two in both the 2001 and 2003 games.
At the 2002 Asian Games, the bronzes of Juana Wangsa Putri and Dalam Imam were considered disappointing.
Indonesia's top tae kwon do athletes, Juana and Satriyo Rahadani, crashed out in the first round at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
His replacement, Rizon, coached the West Java team that was the overall champion in the sport at the 2004 National Games in Palembang.
Separately, Oh said he did not have a problem with the reassignment.
"I just lost the head coach's position, however, I see my current duty as consultant is the same."
The association's letter also informed KONI that IA athlete Utami Dewi from West Java had been replaced by East Java's Rahadewi Neta.
Ade said Utami had difficulty in seeking a leave of absence from her university in Bandung to join the centralized training centers in Jakarta and Semarang.
Utami preferred to train in Bandung, but the association could not find her a coach, Ade said.
Neta joins nine other athletes in the IA training program: Satriyo, Derry Darmansyah, Gerrie Permadi, Ronny Kusdiantoro, Taufik Krisna, Basuki Nugroho, Rosandi, Juana and Ariesti Prawita.
Utami is not the only athlete to find it difficult to balance her scholastic and athletic commitments. Last month, Kartika Ekawati decided to continue her studies in Yogyakarta and practice there instead of Jakarta.
KONI and the Indonesian Karate do Federation (Forki) approved Kartika's request because they do not require participation in a centralized training program in the sport.