Jakarta hands out blame for poor Games

Musthofid ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Samarinda, East Kalimantan   |  Thu, 07/17/2008 10:10 AM  |  Sports

Jakarta is looking to deflect attention from a dismal defense as champion of the National Games (PON), after finding limited opportunities for a medal inside the arena.

Jakarta is poised to finish in an unprecedented third place, falling far short of its target of 160 gold medals. The team attributed its failure, in part, to bad match-officiating and poor organization during the games, which featured some 8,000 athletes competing in 43 events.

"Compared to those from 1973 to 2004, I think these games are the worst organized, ever," deputy chief of the Jakarta contingent Edi Widodo said during a media conference in Samarinda on Wednesday.

Poor organization was evident in the choice of transportation, accommodation and food, as well as in the competitions themselves, he added.

"The transportation fleet was inadequate. Many drivers weren't even familiar with the routes.

"Some housing was substandard, especially for a national event. We were put up in houses that were unfinished, which forced us to find our own. On several occasions, three or four athletes had to share a single, small room.

"They were no standards when it came to food. The quality of the menu depended on the city. The food served in Tenggarong was really bad," Edi said, in reference to one of the six cities or regions that hosted the games.

With Thursday's closing ceremony drawing near, the Jakarta team, comprising some 750 athletes, remained behind East Java and East Kalimantan.

Jakarta has been the dominant force in the quadrennial national sporting event for the past three decades, emerging each time with the most medals, except in 1996, when host East Java halted the team's roll.

"It's not because we are behind East Java (in the medal chase) that we're complaining. We are concerned about the future because PON is the height of national sports competitions," contingent chief Yudi Suyoto said.

PAPER PROOF: Jakarta contigent head Yudi Suyoto (right) shows a clipping from local newspaper Tribun Kaltim alleging unfair practices during the National Games at a press conference in Samarinda on Wednesday. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

Midway through the games, Jakarta had complained about biased judging against its athletes in gymnastics, diving and roller-skating, threatening to withdraw if the trend continued. On Wednesday, the team added a few more events to the list.

"We have found biased judging in pencak silat (Indonesian martial arts), competitive dance, wushu (Chinese martial arts) and equestrian events," Yudi said.

At Wednesday's conference, Yudi also gave specific examples of inconsistent judging.

"In a pencak silat match, a player was disqualified for throwing contact punches at an opponent; yet, in another match, the winner threw wild punches at his opponent's face," he said.

Substandard conditions were reflected in poor venue facilities and slow verification of data entries, he added.

Saepudin D.J., the games' chief of competitions, said the organizers could not interfere with judging procedures.

"We trust the judges. They have been recruited based on recommendations from respected sports organizations. We will not interfere with the judging. That would violate our ethics," he told The Jakarta Post.

Commenting on possible remedies for Jakarta's accusations, Saepudin said, "I recommend objections be addressed to the judging council."

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