Traveling athletes unperturbed by security concerns

Traveling athletes unperturbed by security concerns

Musthofid
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

The extreme athletes take a breath, steady themselves and
focus on a 2.7-meter high wooden ramp before dropping in for a
series of radical maneuvers.

The in-line skaters, skateboarders or BMX riders power up and
down the ramp, punctuating each turn with a three-sixty (360
degree turn) or risk injury with back-flips and kick-flips as the
spectators at the Senayan eastern parking lot in Central Jakarta
applaud.

They are seven professional extreme-sport athletes, five from
Japan and two from Australia, who traveled to Indonesia as
exhibition athletes by invitation of the organizers of Philips X-
Rage, the Asian extreme sport championship.

Instead of showing any trace of fear that has prevented
thousands of foreigners from traveling to Indonesia, the extreme
sportsmen looked enthusiastic while demonstrating their own
skills during last weekend's event.

The championship featured athletes from eight Asian countries,
with the Japanese and Australian pros being restricted to
exhibiting their skills rather than competing.

The athletes appearance in Jakarta, especially those from
Japan, may deserve a thumbs-up given Japanese athletes recent
attitude to traveling to Indonesia.

Kashima Antlers, Japan Soccer League champion for 2000,
refused to travel to Jakarta for its Asian Champions League match
against local champion Persija on Oct. 24. The tie, reduced to
only one leg, was played in Kashima City, with the home side
winning 4-1 and advancing to the second round.

The following week, the Asian Sport Climbing Championship was
deprived of the Japanese contenders, who opted to stay away from
the competition.

"They have their own reasons for not coming here. For me, it's
nice to see this country," one of the extreme sportsmen, Gen
Ogawa, told The Jakarta Post through an interpreter.

"People are easy-going here. I don't need to be scared about
safety," said the 27-year-old skateboarder, adding that news from
Indonesia was at times blown out of proportion.

Unlike Ogawa, Soichiro Nakajima was apprehensive before his
departure here, given Japan's siding with the United States in
the coalition attack on Afghanistan.

"But it wears away gradually as I have not had any taunting
since my stay here," Nakajima, also a skateboarder, said.

Okado Kazuo said fears of traveling to Indonesia were not a
specific issue itself but rather flying anywhere in the world
following the Sept. 11 suicide plane attacks in the United
States.

"But I'm not too worried about it," the BMX specialist said.
It was Okado's second visit to Indonesia. The first was in
Surabaya in August when he was invited to the final round of the
National X-Rage Championship.

Brad Timmins, a 22-year-old in-line skater from Australia,
while attesting to a growing sentiment in Australia against
traveling to Indonesia, said it was a matter of professionalism
which had brought him to Indonesia.

"I'm sure the Indonesian government won't let its people harm
foreigners. Furthermore, I trust the event organizers. They must
already work on the arrangements including that of security
affairs," he said.