Producing top performances

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 09/09/2006 7:30 AM  |  Opinion

The Jakarta administration's poorly argued decision to have the old Menteng Stadium torn down was really shocking.

Stubbornly, the administration carried out the demolition in July to the horror of seasoned soccer fans, who could only wonder what was behind the policy.

Whatever the case, sports fans in general and soccer lovers in particular view the stadium's demolition as an arbitrary act. The administration then promised to build new sports facilities in the compound.

The destruction of the 85-year-old stadium is, in a way, indicative of the administration's poor appreciation of sports. It seems that building more malls and shopping centers is more important than making sports centers and open spaces available to for public use. As a result, Jakarta now has few green areas, forcing children to play on the street.

It is clear that sports are not a focus in the city's development program.

Do the math. A country with a population of more than 200 million finds it difficult to recruit 22 people under the age of 25 to be trained as professional soccer players.

Millions of young athletes could have been netted through the use of professional talent scouting and training. Instead, many young people turn to violence, including in sport. The recent soccer match between Surabaya (Persebaya) and Malang (Arema) in Surabaya, which ended in terrible violence, is one example.

Crowd violence has become commonplace here. The National Football Association (PSSI) has been busier dealing with violence in sport than looking at ways to develop national soccer.

Many believe the troublemakers are unemployed people, left behind in all aspects of life. So the riots and the people's frustration over the hardships of life are strongly linked.

National Sports Day on Sept. 9 means very little to most citizens. The occasion has failed to motivate the government, sports organizations and athletes to climb the ladder to success.

Nobody has ever addressed this issue. Once we had a very promising under-18 national soccer team. There were also times when we had good young swimmers. However, when they got older and joined professional clubs they lost their spark and no longer performed at international level.

Another odd thing is that sports manager is a sought-after position. However, most of the people who get these jobs rest on their haunches, doing little to develop the sport or the athletes. It is all left up to the athletes themselves.

Before Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso was appointed National Badminton Association chairman, top shuttler Taufik Hidayat had made his own way to glory, through his talent and undying efforts.

In boxing, talent, hard work and discipline got featherweight WBA champion Chris John to where he is today. His good standing does not depend on a single boxing organization in the country.

The ""fall guy"" in this situation might be financial constraints. Indonesia allocates 0.6 percent of its national budget for sports, while Malaysia and Vietnam spent 4.7 and 4.9 percent respectively of their state budget on sports in 2005.

In 2005 the government allocated Rp 80 billion for sports development through the National Sports Council (KONI). This year it allocated Rp 50 billion.

The director of KONI's training center, Kusnan Ismukanto, has said KONI has been allocated Rp 303 billion from the government for preparations for the 2007 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).

Better human resources in health and education are also necessary to produce top athletes. Before the government improves the quality of physical education in schools, no one can expect to see high achievements in sports.

With more training, the millions of unemployed senior high school and university graduates in the country could become real assets. If not, the ranks of the unemployed will continue to swell, giving rise to frustration and violence. National Sports Day should serve as a reminder to all that Indonesia, with its huge population, has been left behind other countries in sports.

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