TI to set up Tae Kwon Do foundation to boost sport

TI to set up Tae Kwon Do foundation to boost sport

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Tae kwon do Association (TI) will
launch a Tae kwon do foundation in February to help develop the
sport in Indonesia, TI chairman Suharto said.

Suharto said the foundation, which was jointly set up by TI
and a group of South Korean nationals who were doing business in
Indonesia, would help raise funds to stage championships and to
finance Indonesian tae kwon doins taking part in overseas
training and competitions.

"The foundation will manage everything concerning the
development of tae kwon do in Indonesia. It will comprise members
of TI and the South Korean community on both its board and
executive council.

"It will also have an independent supervisory council to
oversee the work of its members," Suharto said after a meeting
with TI's members here on Monday.

He said that the foundation was a nonprofit one and would not
deal with commercial affairs.

He said the establishment of the foundation was part of a deal
with South Korean businesspeople who wanted to popularize their
country's national sport.

"They are proud of their traditional sport. The leaders of the
South Korean community in Indonesia wanted to help popularize the
sport here. But they only wanted to funnel their money through a
social foundation that could provide transparent public
accountability," he said.

The two-star marine general, who is also the inspector general
at the defense ministry, said that TI would stage the second LG
Cup National Tae Kwon Do championships in November and the Junior
Open in July, both to take place here.

"There will be 204 South Korean elementary students who will
come here to demonstrate the sport, together with our tae kwon
doins in the Junior Open," he said.

He also said that Indonesia would host the Southeast Asian Tae
Kwon Do Union Championships in October. The championships were
originally scheduled for 1997 but later delayed after five
Southeast Asian countries retired due to economy crisis," he
said.

The national tae kwon doins would also attend the Asian
Championships in Hong Kong, he said without mentioning the date.

Olympics

Suharto also expressed optimism that national women's tae kwon
doin Juana Wangsa Putri could earn a medal in the 2000 Olympic
Games in Sydney.

"It's very difficult to win a gold medal and Juana will face
tough challenges from tae kwon doins from Belgium, the United
States and Cuba. But I'm optimistic that Juana will earn a medal.
Hopefully, she can get bronze," he said.

He also doubted that men's tae kwon doin Satrio Rahardani
would get a wild card to compete in the Olympics. "There are only
four wild cards offered and they are prioritized to the countries
whose athletes failed to qualify for the Olympics."

Juana, who competes in the flyweight division, will leave for
a five-month overseas stint before performing in Sydney in
September. She will be accompanied by Satrio and his younger
sister Rahadewi Neta.

The three tae kwon doins will compete in the U.S. Open in
Honolulu, Hawaii, from Feb. 2 to Feb. 6, the Dutch Open in
Nijmegen, the Netherlands, from March 10 to March 12, the Belgian
Open in Brussels on April 1 and April 2 and the Korean Open in
June.(ivy)