Two gold medals dropped from SEAG events

JAKARTA (JP): Two weightlifting gold medal events will be dropped from the 19th SEA Games because not enough countries have entered for them, the SEA Games training director said yesterday.

Djoko Pramono said that the men's 91kg division and the women's 83kg weightlifting class would be dropped because only Thailand and Myanmar had registered to compete in these events.

There will now be only 438 gold medals up for grabs at the region's largest sports gathering instead of the original 440 gold medals.

Djoko, also the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association's secretary-general, said yesterday "the committee has decided to drop the events from contention."

SEA Games rules say that an event can go ahead if it is approved of by four countries, and if at least three countries are registered to compete in the event by the deadline of entry- form-by-name.

Neither event meets these rules.

Djoko said Indonesia did not have athletes in either class and had not registered to participate in them.

The organizing committee informed the participating countries of the cancellation yesterday.

The weightlifting, which originally offered 19 golds, will now only offer 17 golds.

Indonesia expects to win eight of the gold medals.

At the 1995 Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Indonesia won seven of the 19 golds on offer.

The two weightlifting events are the only ones to be dropped from the Games schedule.

At least three countries will be competing in all the other events.

Of a Thai official's comment about Thailand's medal target for the Games, Djoko said that Thailand was only trying to make host country Indonesia happy.

"Thailand has come to Indonesia as a guest and I think they are trying to make us happy. I warn our athletes to keep on the alert for Thailand's real strength," Djoko said, smiling.

Djoko said Indonesia would house 484 of its athletes and 364 of its officials from 21 sports at the Hotel Atlet Century Park. They will move in today.

The Indonesian team is made up of 1,239 athletes and officials, but the other 391 team members will stay elsewhere.

"Some of them have been staying at the hotel during training but tomorrow they will move into their (official) rooms, three athletes in each, in the hotel."

"The Indonesian contingent will not stay at the Hotel Mulia Senayan because the new hotel is for our guests," he said.

The Indonesia soccer team will stay at the Sahid Jaya hotel, the billiard and snooker teams will stay at the Dai-Ichi hotel, the yachtsmen, yachtswomen and sailors will stay at the Putri Duyung cottages, the gymnasts will stay at the Horison Bekasi hotel, wushu (Chinese martial arts) athletes will stay at the Ibis Kemayoran, while the 10-pin bowlers will stay at the Ibis Mangga Dua hotel.

Karatekas will stay at Hotel Ancol, pencak silat athletes will stay at the Indonesian Pencak Silat Dormitory, taekwondo-ins will stay at the Pitagiri hotel, track cyclists will stay at Hotel Cempaka, sepak takraw athletes will stay at the Graha Menteng Matraman while the waterskiers will stay at the Sunlake hotel.

Vietnam, Cambodia and Brunei will also stay at the Hotel Atlet Century Park. (yan)