Yogyakarta pumped up for LG cup

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.