Young karatekas bid for Asiad task

Young karatekas bid for Asiad task

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia's campaign to win karate medals at the Asian Games next
year would focus on its young guns, an official said Wednesday.

Indonesian Karate-Do Federation (FORKI) athletes development
chief Tono Soe'oed said the policy was aimed at giving exposure
to young karatekas and to examine whether the regeneration
program now underway was working.

"We are quite late in preparing young fighters compared to,
among others, our neighbor Malaysia, whose young karate fighters
did well at the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games," Tono said.
Host Malaysia dominated karate at the games, winning nine of 19
golds at stake.

"Indonesia has long been banking on veteran fighters in order
to reach our medal winning targets but forgotten to develop
younger ones."

However Tono said some veterans would be given places in the
national team bound for the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, as
long as they managed to maintain their top form.

"We will need the services of senior fighters especially in
kata events," he said.

FORKI has announced seven fighters for the Asian Games, but
Tono warned that the list would be trimmed depending on an
individual's performance.

Topping the list are Mohammad Hasan Basri of East Java and
Jenny Zeannet of Jakarta, both will have to kick off their
training program immediately.

Arif Taufan (South Sumatra), Bambang Maulidin (Aceh), Sonny
Simangasing (East Java), Sandra Aryani (North Sumatra) and Aswan
Ali (East Java) have been registered as secondary options and
will start their training next January.

There will be 11 gold medals at stake in individual events and
four in the team events at the Asian Games, which will open late
September. The organizers have limited each participating country
to only five fighters.

FORKI will also summon some 120 fighters from all chapters to
join a one-month training camp in March before competing at the
national championship vying for the Indonesian Army Chief of
Staff Cup in April.

During the tournament, the association will scout some
fighters for the Indonesian Open international competition
scheduled for July or August.