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Minister ready to talk over TAP
The State Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs has agreed to a forum and future discussions over its unprecedented boost in athletic programs, after being called unethical by a leading sport body
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The State Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs has agreed to a forum and future discussions over its unprecedented boost in athletic programs, after being called unethical by a leading sport body.
Minister Adhyaksa Dault said future cooperation with the National Sports Council (KON)/Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI), which manages training camps and sporting showcases for a range of events, is possible.
"Especially considering KOI has authority to send Indonesian athletes to world-level sports events," he said.
"This program is for top-tier athletes who are projected to grab medals in international events. Therefore, they will receive number-one facilities and funding, nutrition and health support," he said.
The Top-tier Athletic Program (TAP) involves a shortlist of 181 athletes from 19 sports. The athletes have been selected based on their performance both at home and overseas.
The long-term athlete development plan aims to boost Indonesia's medal chances at the Asian Games 2010, Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the 2012 Olympics.
Adhyaksa said the government has spent Rp 20 billion on the early stages of the program while an additional Rp 100 billion has been allocated for next year.
The athletes are classified into premier, secondary and junior groups and will undergo intense training organized by their respective sports federations and monitored by the ministry's team. The athletes earn a monthly allowance, ranging from Rp 2 million (US$185) to Rp 5 million.
While athletes and coaches are excited about the program, an official at KOI/KON has expressed disappointment, saying the ministry is unethical and distrustful of the council.
Rita Subowo, KOI/KON chairwoman, has refused to be drawn into the debate.
Rita said Thursday that Adhyaksa is "willing to make a legalized treaty with us (KON/KOI) to run the program."
"The KON official in charge of the athlete's performances will soon sit alongside the ministry's team to talk further about the athletes distribution at the training camp," she said.
She said sports federations and athletes would not have to deal with any confusion before they started the training camp.
The program is the largest ever launched for athletes preparing for sporting events since Garuda Emas (Gold Eagle) and Indonesia Bangkit (Indonesia Awakens), both of which were supervised by KON/KOI.
