Wrestling laid back about SEAG prospect
Wrestling laid back about SEAG prospect
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian wrestling has been a dominant force at the Southeast
Asian (SEA) Games but the Indonesian Wrestling Association (PGSI)
appears to be playing down its prospects for the next games in
Vietnam.
"We won't dream of becoming overall gold winner in Vietnam,"
Robby Nainggolan, the training chief, told The Jakarta Post here
on Friday.
Indonesia's domination peaked in 1987 when, as host, the
wrestling squad won all 20 golds on offer.
Even when Vietnam sent out signs of challenging the champion,
Indonesia still dominated until 1997, also in Jakarta, which
marked the last time wrestling was included in the event.
This year the sport will return in Vietnam, but Indonesia,
according to Robby, appeared to have fallen behind its rivals,
particularly against the hosts.
The 2002 ASEAN Wrestling Championship in Manila was a bad omen
for Indonesia, which only brought home five silvers.
"We need extra effort to be competitive," Robby said.
PGSI has selected 40 wrestlers -- 32 men and eight women --
distributed in four training camps under the supervision of
recently-hired head coach You Mong-an of South Korea.
The camps are in Jakarta, Jambi in Sumatra, Surabaya in East
Java and Samarinda in East Kalimantan. The four areas are
considered the strongest for producing national wrestlers.
It's You's second stint with Indonesian wrestling after his
first in 1987.
"We already know his reputation and we had him start his job
here early this month," Robby said.
The wrestlers will be whittled down to half the number at the
National Wrestling Championship in Samarinda in July with Robby
hinting at the possibility of including new names in the squad.
Serving also as the qualifying event for the 2004 National
Sports Championship in Palembang, South Sumatra, the national
wrestling meet will run from July 10 to July 15, one day after
which PGSI will convene to elect a new chairman.
The fixed lineup of 20 will remain in Samarinda to continue
its workout before embarking on a month-long training camp in
South Korea in September.