Why is PON a turnoff?

Why is PON a turnoff?

From Merdeka

What is happening to the public? It is as if people have lost interest in what is happening around them, except if a student riot has erupted somewhere. There is even no interest in the on- going National Games, PON, currently being held in Jakarta.

The papers and electronic media are reporting poor attendances this year. Only athletes and their friends are filling the seats, giving rousing support to those in the sporting arenas.

It is such a pity. How can sports become popular if people do not even like to watch them? Then, is it reasonable to expect victory on the regional and international scene? Will sport in Indonesia become as advanced as in other countries if people show no interest at all in national sports events? Or is it because of the poor performances of the athletes?

Come to think of it, what is there really to be proud of apart from badminton. Let us start with football (it only incites fights on the field), boxing (it lost its glamor after Syamsul Anwar and Ellyas Pical faded away), bridge (we were good at it once), tennis (no replacement for Yayuk Basuki yet), swimming (we are losing out here too), basketball (still in the embryonic stage of development) and so on.

And athletes who achieve international recognition in weight lifting and chess are not as fortunate as badminton players, who are showered with money and gifts. There are ex-weight lifters and chess players of international fame who ended their sporting careers destitute.

Given this situation, the government, and KONI (the National Sports Council) in particular, should look into the question of why PON has not grabbed the public's imagination this year and why our athletes' performances are increasingly on the wane. We have to bear in mind that the success of a nation is also reflected in its sporting achievements.

As an important member of ASEAN, we should not be an under-dog in the sports arena.

YAN SUGIYANTO

Jakarta