Tennis warm up plans under threat

Tennis warm up plans under threat

JAKARTA (JP): The cash-starved Indonesian Tennis Association may drop plans to warm up its Asian Games-bound team at foreign tournaments unless the National Sports Council provides it with financial aid, an official said on Friday.

The deputy secretary-general of the tennis body, Subiyanto, said an estimated US$18,500 would be needed to send five players being groomed for the Asiad to various international tournaments in Asia.

"We can't afford to send our players overseas, so we are expecting a helping hand from the sports council," Subiyanto said, adding that he had written to council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar on the matter.

"I'm looking forward to hearing from the council in the very near future so that things can be arranged as soon as possible," Subiyanto said as quoted by Antara.

Women's singles players Liza Andriani and Irawati Iskandar have entered a satellite tournament in Manila in mid November, while the men's doubles team of Sulistyo Wibowo and Bonit Wiryawan plan to play in the Asian Championships in India.

Another women's singles player, Wynne Prakusya, is currently playing in South Korea and is also scheduled to appear in Australian prior to the Asiad.

Meanwhile, the Asiad team's training director, Mochamad Hindarto, said the sports council would fund the Indonesian Swimming Association's training program if its swimmers surpassed Asiad qualifying times during a trial at the end of this month. (amd)