Taekwondo gears up for 1998 Asiad

Taekwondo gears up for 1998 Asiad

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Tae kwon do Association yesterday
became the first sport organization to start qualification for
the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, sending 13 athletes to the Asia
Pacific Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

The championships, which will run from Friday to Sunday, will
serve as the first qualifying tournament for both the 1998 Asian
Games and the millennium Olympic Games in Sydney.

"We just need to finish among the top eight to qualify for the
Asiad," national coach Oh Il-nam said before his team's departure
yesterday.

"Our prospects are pretty bad actually, because the sport has
been developing quite fast in many countries," South Korean Oh,
who has been in Indonesia since 1993, said.

Indonesia took two silvers and a bronze in the 1994 Asian
Games in Hiroshima, Japan.

Oh's choices for the men's division are pinweight Lugi
Riyandi, flyweight Ade Yudha Lubis, bantamweight Achmad Yusuf,
featherweight Pino Indra Permana, lightweight Edi Musiyamtoro,
welterweight Maindra Aritomo, middleweight Robert and heavyweight
Andri Halim.

The women's squad consists of flyweight Andriani Tri Asmara,
bantamweight Umi Alfiah, featherweight Rita Elis Robina,
lightweight Yolandini and heavyweight Sinta Berliana Heru.

All players have been preparing at the Army's base camp in
Cilodong, East Jakarta, since April 10.

The Taekwondo body called 32 athletes up for the training
program, but only 23 managed to appear. That number shrank to 13
after final selection on May 3. (yan)