WI looks for slot in IA campaign

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.