Time to focus on identifying youngsters with potential

Time to focus on identifying youngsters with potential

Sports consultant Hans Peter Thumm began working with the
Directorate of Sports Affairs on sports development, particularly
in the field of athletics, in 2003 as part of a cooperation
program with the government of Germany. With the program
dissolved at the end of March, the German spoke to The Jakarta
Post's Moch. N. Kurniawan about the need to put in place a system
to identify youth with athletic potential, if Indonesia is
sincere about regaining its position as a regional sporting
powerhouse.

With a population of 215 million, Indonesia clearly has the
potential to triumph in sports, but its recent results have been
unimpressive.

Indonesia, which dominated the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in
the 1980s and early 1990s, failed to finish atop the medal
standings at the last three events.

A quick glance shows that declining achievements in athletics
and swimming -- offering more than 20 golds respectively -- were
mainly responsible for the decline.

In athletics, the country has not been able to produce new,
talented athletes since the 1990s.

During my visits to various provinces, I noticed that only a
few young athletes took part in athletic competitions. I was left
wondering why young people were reluctant to run, and what were
the athletics organizations doing to find new talent.

Confirmation of the decline came at the 2004 National Games in
Palembang, where a relatively low number of junior athletes
participated.

I found that the National Sports Council (KONI) and the
Indonesian Athletics Association (PASI) have been unable to
determine a suitable and strategic solution in finding and
promoting athletes in a vast geographic area.

The lack of facilities, equipment, modern literature, an
adequate curricula and chances for sport teachers and coaches to
upgrade their skills all contribute to the problem.

Amid such unfavorable conditions, what is the likelihood of
finding the athletically gifted in the still mostly rural
heartland of Indonesia?

Must Indonesia wait until it finishes last in Southeast Asian
athletics before trying to solve the problem?

The deficiencies are in contrast to Indonesia's neighbors:
Thailand has an excellent scouting system to the National Sports
School in Bangkok, Malaysia has established its outstanding Bukit
Jalil Center and Vietnam is home to an impressive network of
sports centers.

In recognizing Indonesia's potential as well as the problems
affecting its development, Germany tried to assist through a
"talent identification system" project in Papua.

The easternmost province, home to 2.2 million people, was
chosen as the model because of its athletic achievements at the
local and national level.

With a natural lifestyle, the Papuans have been able to
maintain their unique motor potential very well, contributing to
their prowess as track and field athletes.

The talent identification system basically consists of the
following steps:
* Formation of an organizing committee (10 people);
* Education of local organizers about all aspects of
identification and the organization of the test (43);
* Education of local teachers/testers (503);
* Talent identification of 4,000 students at elementary and
junior high schools in Papua, including a period of evaluation of
the basic potential;
* Education of specific "talent identification coaches";
* Organization of the Papua Cup as a competition for new,
talented athletes.

Talent identification gauges the predicted body height and
speed ability, ascertains whether there is a high level of
physical elasticity as well as the absence of orthopedic
anomalies.

It is followed by a series of test-exercises, such as the
measurement of body height, the rapidity of start following an
acoustic signal, five throws with tennis balls and three
successive frog-jumps.

Of course, all this is only the starting point. There should
be a broader system that continues to support and promote the
athletes in their careers -- something still absent in the
country.

The athletes should undergo one to two years of a
decentralized basic training program, then they must qualify for
the school sport centers (PPLP).

PPLP will improve the performance of qualified athletes
through an extended basic training program which takes their
individual potential into consideration.

The final stage will determine whether the athletes will
continue to train at PPLP until 19 years old, transfer to
university sports centers or train under special coaches for
further improvement and specialization.

With the talent identification system now finished in Papua,
it is now up to Indonesians to continue the program to find
tomorrow's world beaters.

It will take commitment and hard work. The reward will be that
the present mediocre results at international competitions will
become a thing of the past.