Two gold medals dropped from SEAG events

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)