Wynne, Yayuk fighting flu in Sydney ahead of matches

Wynne, Yayuk fighting flu in Sydney ahead of matches

JAKARTA (JP): Women's tennis hopefuls Wynne Prakusya and Yayuk
Basuki are fighting off the flu as Sydney's chilling temperature
is proving to be a hurdle to Indonesia's bid to excel in the
Olympic Games.

Assistant for general affairs of the Indonesian contingent,
Indra Kartasasmita, said in a teleconference from the Olympic
Village in Homebush Bay in Sydney that both Wynne and Yayuk could
not stand the cold weather.

"It's very cold here. The temperature is about 15 degrees
Celsius during the daytime but it's colder in the evening. Wynne
has had a fever for two days while Yayuk is starting to cough,"
Indra said.

He said the two tennis aces were receiving intensive medical
treatment and were expected to recover right in time.

"It's not a very serious illness. They'll recover soon," Indra
said.

The flu forced both Yayuk and Wynne to skip the opening
ceremony at the Olympics Stadium, where participants had to stand
for 187 minutes.

Several other athletes -- archer Hamdiah; shuttlers Zelin
Resiana, Bambang Suprianto, Tri Kusharjanto and Minarti Timur;
table tennis players Anton Suseno and Ismu Harjanto;
weightlifters Sri Indriyani, Winarni, Lisa Rumbewas -- also
missed the opening.

"Their coaches recommended that they skip the ceremony, which
was held in the open air for three hours. It would have adversely
affected their stamina ahead of their upcoming matches," Indra
said.

He was speaking to Indonesian journalists when the opening
ceremony took place.

Wynne will face Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland in the
first round of the singles events on Monday. If the 20-year-old
Indonesian wins, she will likely meet 15th seed Elena Likhotseva
of Russia, who faces Jana Kenderr of Germany in the first round.

The day after, Wynne and Yayuk will team up against Japanese
duo of Nana Miyagi and Ai Sugiyama in the doubles first round at
the Tennis Center in the Sydney Olympics Park in Homebush Bay on
Tuesday. Should they survive, they will meet the winners between
Tamarine Tanasugarn and Benjamas Sangaram of Thailand and Mariana
Mesa and Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia.

Speaking of Indonesian windsurfer Oka Sulaksana's chances,
Indra, who is also an advisor to the Indonesian Yachting and
Windsurfing Association (Porlasi), said the wind in the Sailing
Marina in Rushcutters Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs was perfect
for Oka.

"When we watched Oka train yesterday, the wind was only 12
knots. Should the wind speed increased to 20 knots, Oka can still
deal with it. However, he must be able to handle his board as the
wind keeps shifting."

"Oka's coach Bruce Kendall of New Zealand said Oka is now
among the best 15 from 100 windsurfers competing in the Olympics.
From 10 races, Oka is expected to be among the leading pack."

The teleconference was jointly organized by the National
Sports Council (KONI) and state telecommunications company PT
Indosat Persero Tbk.

Teleconferences will be held every day during the 16-day
Olympics. (yan)