WI looks for slot in IA campaign
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A winning run at the recent Shaolin Open International Championships in China is expected to pave way for Indonesian wushu athletes to be included in the Indonesia Awakens (IA) program.
"The athletes have shown an outstanding performance at the championships. I'm sure we can maintain an edge in future tournaments," Ahmad Yani Syaiful, secretary-general of Wushu Indonesia (WI), told The Jakarta Post here on Tuesday.
Four Indonesian wushu athletes, under the coaching of Iwan Kwok and Malaysian Poon Chee Kong, is currently undergoing training in China.
They started training last month, at the end of the Shaolin Championships in Henan where they put in a strong performance by winning four gold medals.
Yani said the championship featured participants from 47 countries with 26 gold medals on offer.
Sandri Liong contributed two golds for Indonesia while Andi Hakim and female compatriot Nurdiana contributed one each. Heriyanto grabbed a silver.
When they finish their workout in China on Nov. 18, the athletes will continue to Myanmar to take part in the Asian Championship.
Another three athletes -- Hoan Lee, Zaenab and Dwi Arimbi -- will join them directly from Medan, North Sumatra, to compete in the championship, which will run from Nov. 20 to Nov. 28.
Yani said that another strong showing in Myanmar would be necessary in WI's pursuit for a place in the IA program.
The IA campaign sees a selected number of athletes from 12 sports, excluding wushu, prepare intensively to enhance Indonesia's medal chances at the 2006 Asian Games.
"In the IA program, we hope that we can get sufficient financial backup needed for the training program which includes competing in overseas tournaments," Yani said.
Yani tipped Sandri, Zaenab and Hoan Lee to spark in Myanmar to provide a possible boost for WI's IA campaign.
He said Sandri could be relied on further in Qatar, should wushu be part of Indonesia's sporting delegation in the 2006 Asian Games.
The Qatar showing might be Sandri's redemption after he was ruled out from 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, where he would have been favorite to win a gold.
While Qatar is still two years ahead, Sandri and the wushu squad will have to prove their worth at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines next year.