The government has never created clear standards for sports achievement, whether for Olympics or non-Olympics sports.
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Lifter I Ketut Ariana gets ready to lift at the national weightlifting training center in Senen, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (8/11). As many as 11 lifters, made up of seven male and four female lifters, will take part in preparations for the 2018 Asian Games.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The problem of sports associations going all out in their budget proposals for national training ahead of the 2018 Asian Games partly stems from the absence of a long-term blueprint for the improvement of national sports achievement. Such problems will continue to persist until the government creates that blueprint.
Sports observer Fritz Simandjuntak said that the government has never created clear standards for sports achievement, whether for Olympics or non-Olympics sports. As a result, the management of national training has not been sustainable, and the achievements have not been optimal. “This is like a dagelan [joke] in sports management,” Fritz said Wednesday (27/12).
According to Fritz, the government should be able to map Indonesia’s chances of winning medals by evaluating its performance in the last two years, starting from the 2015 SEA Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and 2017 SEA Games. By looking at those performances, the government should be able to determine the contingent’s potential achievements and the funds needed by each sports association without them having to submit national training proposals. “If the association feels the funds are not enough, they must find their own additional funding,” said Fritz.
The national training proposal, Fritz said, looked as though the associations were asking for as much money as possible. The condition is made worse by the lack of clear commitment in improving their achievements. At present, associations rely on funds allocated by the government as a main source of income.
Competition in national training is important to get the best out of the boxers.
Sports professor Dr. Djoko Pekik Kirianto reminded that the request of the Youth and Sports Ministry for the sports associations to file a proposal of their activities in 2018 is closely linked to the government’s target for the 2018 Asian Games. The available budget will be used to help Indonesia reach the target of finishing in the top 10 at the Asian Games.
At the same time, Djoko has asked the ministry to be firm in reviewing the proposals and deciding which ones to support and which can be delayed.
“The Youth and Sports Ministry team is able to identify which sports are the priority because of their medals target at the Asian Games; there are not many, only 15-16 sports. They must be given priority, and should even be given more if it is believed that the funds proposed are not enough. Do not go off the rails because if sports that are highly expected to struggle for medals in Asian Games are given as much money as they want, it would not change the result much,” he said.
Separately, Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (PB Pertina) chairman Johni Asadoma said that the proposal for funds by his association was made in accordance to its needs. To prepare for the Asian Games, Pertina has added nine more boxers to the Manado national training camping in North Sulawesi. The nine boxers have been grouped in one additional team that would act as the “competitor” to the existing team that was formed in October 2017. “Competition in national training is important to get the best out of the boxers,” said Johni.
The cycling training camp has set a target of gold medal for Tiara Andini Prastika in the women’s downhill elite category.
The nine additional boxers, consisting of six men and three women, will have the same opportunity to be picked for various competitions at home or abroad, after they pass the selection process.
With the additional number of athletes, the national boxing training team has asked for Rp 7 billion (US$490,000). The funds will not only be used for the athletes’ accommodations and salaries, but also for test matches, sparring practices and to buy equipment and train overseas.
“If the funds for the additional team are not approved by the government, we will be forced to look for the money ourselves. This addition is highly needed if we want to produce the best boxers,” Johni said.
The boxers included in national training went through a selection process that looked at their achievement in various national-level competitions or multi-sport competitions like the SEA Games or Asian Games in the previous years. The boxing national training camp has set a target of one gold medal.
Meanwhile, the national cycling training camp has yet to form a team for the road race and cross-country categories. Now, cycling is still focused on the MTB downhill, BMX and track race categories. The cycling training camp has set a target of gold medal for Tiara Andini Prastika in the women’s downhill elite category.
Indonesia’s strongest competitors for the women’s BMX category are cyclists from Thailand and the Philippines.
In the men’s category, Indonesia has prepared Popo Aryo Sejati, Khoiful Mukhib and Afos Katana. The three are currently training in Malang, East Java. The toughest competitors in the men’s downhill category are cyclists from Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines.
Indonesia’s strongest competitors for the women’s BMX category are cyclists from Thailand and the Philippines. In the women’s category, Indonesia still relies on Elga Kharisma, while in the men’s category, Indonesia has Rio Akbar, Toni Syarifudin and Bagus Saputra. The competitors have been identified from their performances in Asian and international competitions.
Asian Para Games
Separately, Indonesian National Paralympics Committee (NPC) chairman Senny Marbun said the committee has proposed 300 athletes to join the 2018 Asian Para Games national training camp. They consist of athletes from 13 old events and five new events, namely boccia, cycling, long ball, judo and fencing. Indonesian Paralympic athletes have set a target of finishing fifth in the 2018 Asian Para Games. Among the events in which Indonesia is one of the favorites are chess, badminton and table tennis.
“The national training proposal is still being worked on by the NPC and so the funds to be proposed for national training is not yet known,” Senny said.
Compared to the 40 sports events in the 2018 Asian Games, the information from the Youth and Sports Ministry about national training proposal was received late by the Paralympics events. However, Senny said the national training proposal will be submitted at the end of the year at the latest. The NPC needs time to write up the proposal because the needs of disabled athletes vary.
In the 2014 Incheon Para Games, the NPC sent 40 Paralympic athletes to compete in nine events. The significant addition in the number of athletes for the 2018 Asian Para Games is because there are now more events being played. Other than that, the NPC has also prepared second and third layer athletes as backups.
