Two Asiad windsurfers to enter world championship in Canada

Two Asiad windsurfers to enter world championship in Canada

JAKARTA (JP): Abdul Malik Syafei and Oka Sulaksana, two
windsurfers groomed for the 12th Asian Games in Hiroshima next
October, will participate in the upcoming windsurfing world
championship in Canada on Aug. 25 as part of their training.

"The Canada event will be important to study the performance
of other Asian surfers," said national coach Raymond Kotambunan
on Thursday.

The national squad for the Asiad consists of Malik, the board
race specialist, Oka, in the mistral one number, and Adi Yuliawan
and Monica, who have not yet decided.

Oka and Malik will be accompanied by surfers Micky Sampelan
and Ktut Hartana in the Canada meet.

Because the deadline set by the Indonesian National Sports
Committee (KONI) falls on Aug. 12, Raymond and the officials of
the Association of Windsurfers of Indonesia (Porlasi) are
prepared to sacrifice their Asiad tickets if the performance in
Canada turns to be a letdown.

"We will not be push for KONI if we perform poorly," Raymond
said.

Oka and Malik recently prevailed in their specialities in an
Asia-Pacific championship in Penang, Malaysia in March.

At that time, Oka won a surprise victory by defeating world
number one Bruce Kendall from New Zealand.

Meanwhile, on a separate occasion, officials from the
Indonesian Association of Fencing (Ikasi) also stated that they
are willing to drop their Asiad tickets if they do not perform as
expected in the Thailand Open on Aug.16. (hdj)