Yogyakarta pumped up for LG cup
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
ASEAN Tae Kwon Do Federation has applauded Yogyakarta's preparation for the 7th LG ASEAN Tae Kwon Do Championship and pledged its full support for the success of the two-day event.
"ATF gives its 100 percent support to Yogya in hosting this regional event," ATF's secretary-general Leow Cheng Koon said during a media conference here on Wednesday.
He was accompanied by the director of event sponsor LG Electronics Indonesia Mook In-jang and members of the organizing committee.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups 11 nations.
Around 180 athletes from eight ASEAN member countries will be competing in the event at the Yogya Expo Center (JEC) from Dec. 11 to 12.
The participating members are Vietnam, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia. Brunei Darussalam, Thailand and Laos have opted out but Thailand is sending its representatives as match officials.
Leow Cheng Koon applauded Timor Leste's initiative in joining the event, even though the former Indonesian territory has not yet had its membership of the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) acknowledged.
He said that the tae kwon do event in Yogyakarta should provide a timely test for athletes in preparation for further challenges at higher levels at the Asian Games and later at the Olympics.
The event will comprise ten weight classes in the junior competition and eight each in the men's and women's open competition.
Indonesia will field three teams. Team A, according to Yoyok Suryadi, an official of the organizing committee, comprises national winners, most of whom are currently undergoing intensive training workouts under the Indonesia Awakens (IA) program.
"Team B and Team C consist of young and potential athletes," he said.
Organizing committee chairman GBHP Prabukusumo said that Yogyakarta would be doing its best to make the event a success.
"We hope that other international events will follow suit in choosing Yogya as their match venue," he said.
The delegations will be welcomed at a party to be hosted by Governor Sultan Hamengku Buwono X on Friday. The opening ceremony will be on Saturday.