Thais send 846 athletes to retain SEA Games title
Thais send 846 athletes to retain SEA Games title
JAKARTA (JP): Thailand will deploy 846 athletes--496 men and
350 women--in its bid to retain the overall title at the 19th SEA
Games here in October.
Three countries have so far submitted their entry forms:
Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines.
Thailand, which is aiming to finish fourth in next year's
Asian Games in Bangkok, will participate in all 34 sports events
in the biennial SEA Games, which are scheduled to run from Oct.
11 to ends on Oct. 19.
M. Hindarto, a competition official of the Games organizing
committee, said yesterday that Thailand's contingent is the
largest of those being fielded by the three countries which have
so far submitted entry forms.
Cambodia is to take part in 15 events and will send 66 male
and three female athletes.
Vietnam has confirmed its participation but has yet to submit
details of its contingent.
The Philippines will participate in 32 events--sitting out for
only hockey and water skiing--but has yet to reveal how many
athletes will be sent.
Hindarto said that Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines had
all submitted their forms on the deadline of Feb. 28.
"Some countries have asked for tolerance for two weeks," he
added. "We have agree to wait until March 10."
As of yesterday, host Indonesia had yet to submit its own
form.
Games organizers say they expect entry-by-name forms to have
been submitted by all participating countries in September.
Hindarto, a former Jakarta police chief, said that the
organizers are facing venue problems in relation to bowling and
hockey.
"There are three alternatives for the bowling venue," he said.
"One is Pluit Mall in North Jakarta; the second is Cilandak
Plaza, South Jakarta; and the third is Ancol (North Jakarta)."
Hindarto said that both Pluit and Cilandak have newly-
constructed bowling centers and that the bowling lanes in Ancol
are currently undergoing a facelift and expected to finish in
June.
"We're still looking for a sponsor to build a synthetic hockey
field which meets international requirements. If we can't afford
it, we can seek from the international field organization to
stage the event on grass," he said.
The secretary-general of the Indonesian Karate-do Federation,
G.A. Pesik, said he expects his team to win at least seven out of
the 15 karate golds on offer.
"We have a chance to make a clean sweep. So far we have always
been the overall winner in karate," he said.
Indonesia won seven karate golds, eight silvers and eight
bronzes in the 1993 Games in Singapore. The sport was not
contested at 1995 Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Pesik said that Indonesia's biggest karate hope is to win the
women's events and kata events, in both individual or team
efforts.
He said Indonesia's male karatekas will face serious
challenges from Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
"It's hard for us to recapture our glorious times, such as
1987, when we won 12 out of 15 golds. Brunei Darussalam and
Malaysia have hired our coaches to train their athletes," Pesik
said.
The federation is grooming 54 athletes and will select 45 for
the national main squad.
It will also hire a foreign coach--from either Japan or
Britain--who is expected to arrive in June. (yan)