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Internal bickering prevents Olympian from PON showing

Despite her status as former Olympic competitor, archer Ika Yuliana Rochmawati has been prevented from competing in the ongoing National Games (PON) due to a rumored dispute among sporting officials

The Jakarta Post
Sat, September 15, 2012

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Internal bickering prevents Olympian from PON showing

D

espite her status as former Olympic competitor, archer Ika Yuliana Rochmawati has been prevented from competing in the ongoing National Games (PON) due to a rumored dispute among sporting officials.

Unlike her fellow Olympians who were chasing domestic medals at the 2012 PON, Ika traveled all the way from Bojonegoro, East Java, to Pekanbaru, Riau, where the games are being held, for other business.

“I’m here to sell equipment, not to compete,” she said, enjoying her lunch at an archery practice field in the Riau Islamic University’s compound. “We have brought bows and accessories to sell. Do you want to buy some?” the 2011 Asian Olympic Qualifier gold medalist told The Jakarta Post on Thursday afternoon.

When asked why she was not
participating in the ongoing games, Ika simply smiled and said: “No comment.”

Ika arrived on Monday with four other archers from Bojonegoro, including three-time SEA Games title champion I Gusti Nyoman Puruhito Praditya, commonly known  as Adit. His father is I Gusti Nyoman Budiana, the head of the Indonesian Archery Association’s (PERPANI) Bojonegoro branch and the PERPANI central board director of athletic development.

Heading to the London Olympics ranked No. 76 in the world, Ika streaked to instant fame after beating world No. 3 Fang Yuting of China and British archer Amy Oliver, who was ranked No. 37 in the world, with three perfect shots in the last set.

Ika’s Olympic dream ended in the 1/8 elimination round, one round away from the quarterfinals, with a loss to Ksenia Perovia of Russia.

The 23-year-old’s Olympic achievements boosted her ranking to No. 46 in the world.

I Gusti Nyoman Budiana, who is in Pekanbaru as a technical official for archery at the PON, also refused to comment on why Ika did not participate at the quadrennial multi-sport event.

“I’m an open person, but I don’t think this is the right time to make any comments on that,” Nyoman told the Post on Thursday.

“I don’t want to hear people say my comments are distracting those competing at the PON,” he said without elaborating further.

The secretary-general of PERPANI’s East Java branch, Denny Trisyanto, said a number of problems plagued the relationship between the regional branch he represented and its local affiliate in Bojonegoro.

“As an athlete who secured a spot in the London Olympics and won gold at the [previous] SEA Games, Ika should have been given a wildcard by KONI [the National Sports Council],” he said. “But she wasn’t.”

Despite the fact that Ika originates from the province, Denny said she had never been registered in the system that the East Java branch of PERPANI had set up for archers.

“All East Java archers have to sign a memorandum of understanding stipulating the athlete’s rights to welfare, for example, and the responsibilities of PERPANI’s East Java branch,” he said.

“But Ika never signed it. As a consequence, she was outside of the system run by PERPANI’s East Java branch and we couldn’t register her with the PON committee for this year’s Games, which is apart from the wild card affair.”

Denny also alleged that PERPANI’s Bojonegoro branch had been intentionally withholding their athletes and prevented them from joining the East Java training camp.

If such unresolved matters continue, Denny fears Ika may transfer to another province, similar to Olympic archer Rina Dewi Puspitasari, who decided to move to Jakarta.

While selling bows, Ika may be sorting out whether any province will come to her with a transfer offer.

— JP/Mustaqim Adamrah

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