'Unfair' ruling in taekwondo c'ships

'Unfair' ruling in taekwondo c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Central Java taekwondo supporters broke into the
arena following a judgment on the third day of the second LG Cup
Taekwondo National Championships at Bung Karno Tennis Indoor
Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

The supporters expressed their anger after men's finweight
class taekwondoin Inno Sensius lost 3-4 to M. Dalam of West Java
in a very close match on Saturday.

Both fighters produced a 2-2 tie after the first two rounds.
But in the decisive last round, Dalam scored two points against
Inno's one point.

As soon as the referee declared Dalam the winner of the final
match, the disappointed Inno slammed his head gear on the
mattress and ripped off his protective gear.

His actions prompted his teammates and officials to storm into
the arena to protest the referee's decision, kicking everything
in their way.

Officials of the organizing committee calmed them down and
told them to leave the arena.

"I believe the referee and judges favored Dalam because he is
a student of the Ragunan Sports School," Inno told reporters
after the match.

"However, I must admit that Dalam is a good fighter."

Inno admitted he was too emotional and that it had ignited the
anger of his teammates.

Meanwhile, East Jatim's coach Satryono said the Central Java
contingent should have controlled its emotions.

"Disappointment with the results is natural but they should
have kept their heads cool," he said.

"We must remember that coaches and spectators can only see the
match from one side. There are three judges from three different
sides to help the referee during the match."

Satryono also dismissed the possibility that the referee and
judges favored Dalam because he was a student of the Ragunan
Sports School.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing. I know the
students practice hard everyday, morning and afternoon."

Dalam's victory over Inno added one gold medal for West Java,
which is leading the event with its six gold medals.

In the women's finweight class final, Ika Dian Fitri of East
Java outclassed Tri Nurjanah of Jakarta 10-1 in a one-sided
match.

Ika's success was followed by teammate Joko Arianto success in
men's middleweight class against Pasaoran of Riau 6-3.

With the two additional golds, East Java is closely trailing
West Java with five gold medals.

The fourth gold medal of the day went to Ertina Nopiyanti of
Jakarta who defeated Nora Aprilensia 1-0 in the final match of
the women's middleweight class.

Jakarta finished third in the standing by collecting two gold
medals.

The championships' last day on Sunday will feature men's
bantam, women's bantam, men's welter and women's welter weight
classes.

At the closing ceremony, the organizers will also announce the
best athletes in the men's and women's divisions. (nvn)