Telkom collects Rp 5.6b for Games

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Telkom has collected Rp 5.6 billion (US$1.62 million) from the sale of 19th SEA Games stickers, a company executive, A.M. Sampoerna, said in Bandung on Tuesday.

The company raised a total of Rp 5,671,251,630 between May and October from its Sumatra, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Kalimantan and Eastern Indonesia regional divisions.

Sampoerna told Antara that the largest portion came from the Jakarta regional division (Rp 3,980,549,130), with Sumatra second (Rp 629,971,200) and West Java third (Rp 312,038,000).

The Kalimantan regional division raised Rp 292,725,900, Eastern Indonesia raised Rp 197,120,000 and East Java raised Rp 79,332,300.

PT Telkom has presented Rp 4,136,799,930 to the SEA Games consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, and the remaining Rp 1,506,599,600 will be handed over after Telkom receives the money from its divisions.

Cycling

Indonesian Cycling Association vice chairman Hario Tilarso said Tuesday that the association will announce this week the penalty to be imposed on Tonton Susanto.

Tonton was found guilty of using fencamfamine, which is included in the banned substances list, after winning gold in the men's 40-kilometer Individual Time Trial on Oct. 12.

Hario said the association had received a letter from the International Cycling Union (UCI) Tuesday and the two would meet to discuss the UCI recommendation.

"The letter mentioned some forms of punishment which can be applied to Tonton," he said, declining to provide details on the penalty proposed for the Indonesian cyclist.

"I don't think the punishment will be too strict because the substance found in Tonton's urine sample was included in the minor category for stimulants, based on the UCI rules," he said, as quoted by Antara.

The International Olympic Committee rules say that penalties for athletes found guilty of using banned substances range from a warning to a two-year dismissal.

"It depends on the substances and the situation. For example, if the athlete did not intend to consume the substance, the punishment will be light," Hario, who is also a sports doctor, said.

Hario said the Indonesia SEA Games' contingent of doctors must also be held responsible for the incident. Although they did not know what the athletes were doing, they must also get a warning. (yan)