Wiranto hopes Indonesia can win 2000 Bermuda Bowl
Wiranto hopes Indonesia can win 2000 Bermuda Bowl
JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Indonesian Contract Bridge
Association (Gabbsi) Wiranto is hopeful that national players
will continue a run of winning form to triumph in the Bermuda
Bowl World Championships and Venice Cup in January 2000.
"I believe our team, especially the men's team, can win in the
Bermuda Bowl because they eliminated other strong teams in the
just concluded Asia Pacific Bridge Tournament," Wiranto said at
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport during the arrival of the
players on Tuesday.
"The men's team defeated New Zealand and Australian teams from
zone VII and China from zone VI. It's not an exaggeration to hope
they win the Bermuda Bowl. We finished second in the 1996 Bridge
Olympics in Rhodes, Greece, after losing to France," said
Wiranto, a general and chief of the Indonesian Military, as
quoted by Media Indonesia.
Indonesia men's and women's teams won the 39th Asia Pacific
Bridge Tournaments in Guangzhou, China, last week. Both teams
also won tickets to the World Championships in Bermuda.
The team of six men, six women and six male juniors arrived at
the airport's VIP Lounge on Tuesday night.
Men's team members Henky Lasut, Eddy Manoppo, Denny Sacul,
Franky Karwur, Santje Panelewen, Robert Tobing, who won the
trophy, received flowers from Wiranto. Gabbsi officials, who also
attended the celebration, applauded when men's team manager
Juniarto Hadimartono and nonplaying captain Munawar Samiruddin
held up the 80-centimeter trophy.
Wiranto was satisfied with both the men's and women's team
results in qualifying for the World Championships.
"This is the first time we have managed to have both the men's
and women's teams qualify for the championships," he said.
Indonesia last won the Asia Pacific trophy in 1993.
"We had to fight hard in the tournament because in the last
minutes three competing countries -- Indonesia, China and
Australia -- still shared the same number of points," Henky Lasut
said as quoted by Kompas.
The women's team's nonplaying captain, Donny Tuerah, said the
team was more solid than previous teams playing in the same
tournament.
"They worked really hard to make up for their failure two
years ago when they lost to Chinese Taipei in a deciding contest.
They failed to compete in the 1997 World Championships in
Tunisia," he said.
Husein Argasasmita, the National Sports Council (KONI) vice
secretary-general, said KONI would prioritize sports with a
record of international achievements in its future development
programs. He also said KONI would support bridge athletes
development for the World Championships in 2000 and 2001.
"We hope athletes, being prepared for the 2000 World
Championships which is also the 50th anniversary of the Bermuda
Bowl, can show improved performances to win the championships.
Consequently, they must prepare themselves better," he said.
(yan)