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Lifters want young hopefuls among trainees
The weightlifting association has hoped for more flexible criteria concerning athletes’ eligibility to enter the training center for the 16th Asian Games
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he weightlifting association has hoped for more flexible criteria concerning athletes’ eligibility to enter the training center for the 16th Asian Games.
The National Sports Council (KONI) will prioritize gold and silver medalists from recent regional sporting event Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, for the Asian Games, with training expected to begin next month.
Indonesia took home 43 gold, 53 silver and 74 bronze medals at the Laos SEA Games last December. The upcoming Asian Games, a quadrennial event, will take place from Nov. 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, China.
KONI plans to recruit some 100 athletes to compete in 17 of 42 sports. The 17 sports are track and field, archery, weight lifting, badminton, beach volleyball, bowling, rowing, sailing, wrestling, karate, wushu, tae kwon do, fencing, tennis, aquatics, chess and cycling.
The weightlifting association has requested young athletes who did not win either gold or silver in Laos, but are considered potentials for future challenges, be given a chance to train.
“We want to propose four to six names of young lifters, who have not achieved internationally, but stand out at a national level,” Syafriadi Cut Ali, the deputy chairman of the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI), told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Based on the Laos record, only eight lifters will qualify for the training camp including gold medalists Raema Lisa Rumbewas, Okta Dwi Paramita, Eko Yuli Irawan, Jadi Setiadi and Triyatno.
The PABBSI will be allowed a quota of 10 trainees and Syafriadi said he would seek to fill the placements with four to six young candidates.
He said the proposed lifters, between 15 and 20 years old, had excelled at the National Games in East Kalimantan two years ago and at last year’s National Championship.
“We hope that KONI is more flexible in setting the criteria for the training camp.
“We must give younger, inexperienced athletes a chance to succeed,” Syafriadi said.
Training chief Hendardji Supandji advocated the request.
“If athletes can provide accountable data to justify their eligibility, we don’t mind.”
He said that KONI was proposing a budget of about Rp 53 billion (US$5.7 million) for the training program.
Indonesia won two gold, four silver and 14 bronze medals to finish 22nd at the last Asian Games in Doha. China emerged as the overall champion with 165 gold, 88 silver and 63 bronze medals, followed by South Korea with 58, 52 and 82, and Japan (50, 71, 78).
