Women raise Indonesia through sports

Sun, 13 Mar 2005, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In celebration of International Women's Day, which fell on
Tuesday, the Sunday Post has compiled several articles on woman's
issues, including the contributions of Indonesian women to sports
(Page 1) and literature (Page 3). These are but a few examples of
arenas where Indonesian women stand equal to men.

The Indonesian people should be grateful for the nation's
women athletes, as they have lifted the country's image and name
in the greatest sports competition on the planet.

For years, people at home could not smile in triumph, as no
Indonesian athlete had brought home an Olympic medal -- until the
women's archery team won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul
Olympics, the country's first ever.

The success of the 1988 archery trio Lilis Handayani,
Nurfitriyana and Kusumawardani was followed by badminton queen
Susi Susanti, who won a gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Then, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens
Olympics, women's weightlifter Lisa Rumbewas claimed a silver
each to Indonesia's medal tally.

Aside from these contributions, tennis player Yayuk Basuki was
seeded 20th in the 1990s, followed by Angelique Widjaja, who was
seeded 55th in 2003.

While Indonesia's women athletes shone in several sporting
events at the Olympic Games, men athletes have shone only in
badminton so far with a gold at Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and
Athens.

Olympic silver medalist Lisa, who turns 25 on Sept. 10 this
year, said that Indonesian women could lift the country's name
through sports.

"I have proven it along with several women athletes before
me," Lisa told The Jakarta Post.

"It is a matter of being disciplined, practicing hard and
being dedicated to achieve the best you can in a sport you love,"
she said.

As women athletes had proven their worth at the Olympics, she
said, Indonesian women should strive to realize their potential
in sports and contribute the best to their country.

Lisa, who started weightlifting when she was nine years old,
encouraged women to become more active in sports, including
traditionally "male" sports such as weightlifting, judo, boxing,
wrestling and track and field, if they had the talent.

"Just try the sport, including tough sports, because they will
not change you as women," she said.

When women excelled in sports, she pointed out, they were also
entitled to benefit from their achievements, like the
government's bonus for athletes. Women athletes are awarded the
same amount as men athletes, Lisa said.

"In this case, women and men are equal," she said.

Marathon runner Ferry Subnafeu, who just won second place at
the Hong Kong Marathon in late February, was concerned about the
limited stock of women athletes in long-distance running as well
as other sporting events.

"So far, I have not seen young girls run in marathon. There
must be something wrong with the development program," she said.

Meanwhile, the vice chair of the National Sports Council
(KONI), Rita Subowo, said the people should indeed thank the
country's women athletes for their contribution in sports.

"We should remember that we have several women Olympic
medalists, like our women archers, then Susi Susanti in badminton
and Lisa Rumbewas in weightlifting," she said.

"Now we need more women to play sports, because they have
great potential."

However, she admitted that encouraging women to become
professional athletes was a difficult task, partly because the
government had not yet regulated athletes' welfare after their
retirement.

Therefore, she hailed the government's effort to formulate a
draft bill on sports that will provide financial and social
security for athletes who have made international achievements,
including women athletes.