Our boxers can make it to Rio: Minister

The results of the recent Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in which Indonesia finished as overall medals champion seem to have convinced Sports and Youth Minister Andi Mallarangeng that the country has the potential to make its mark at the Olympic Games.

Citing the achievement of the nation’s boxers at last November’s biennial SEA Games, Mallarangeng said he believed that the country’s boxers could make it to the ring at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

“We didn’t win any golds in boxing at the Laos SEA Games in 2009, but we did at the recent SEA Games,” Andi said during a gathering held by the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) in Jakarta on Tuesday. He was referring to the two gold medals collected by Indonesian boxers at the Games.

“It is too soon for the London Games. So, I guess boxing can start plotting its route to gold for Rio,”
he said while suggesting that the boxing association immediately begin a development program to ensure its chances at the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Indonesia has the potential in boxing ... but it seems that the sport is taking a nap,” he said.

“What we’ve lacked in boxing, among other things, is enough competition.”

“This is shown by the fact that we organized the Piala Presiden [President’s Cup amateur boxing championships] again last year after seven years of absence,” he added.

He expected that the country would no longer depend only on badminton and weightlifting to bag medals at the Olympics.

“Yes, we’ve been relying a lot on badminton and weightlifting ... but, as a result of the recent SEA Games, now we have young potential in other sports, such as Erwina [Safitri] in archery and Tatyana [Wijaya] in golf,” said Andi, referring to the two 15-year-old 2011 SEA Games gold medalists.

However, the association may have its work cut out for it as its own head of research and development, Junusul Hairy, said that a general lack of knowledge undermined the Indonesian coaches and that this had played a major part in the country’s poor achievements in the sport over the past few years.

He said that most Indonesian boxers relied too much on their arms to swing punches.

“In fact, waist and leg muscles are also a source of strength, but unfortunately these are things that are not known to most of the coaches. They could have train their boxers better,” said Junusul, adding that developing the shoulder, chest and back muscles was also imperative to a strong boxer.

“Another blunder is that most of our coaches often let their boxers run on asphalt during training. This can lead to [bone] calcification.”

The gathering was held as part of of Pertina’s preparation for a congress to elect a new leadership for 2012-2016 in Jakarta from Jan. 13-14. Junusul said he hoped that the new leader of Pertina would study and improve its development program for the Rio Games.