W

ith their athletes expected to make progress following their long training workout, the Indonesian Karate-Do Federation (FORKI) has expressed optimism about its double success as host and competitor at the upcoming WKF Karate1 Premier League next week.

'We want to succeed not only in the competition but also in the organization,' FORKI President Hendardji Soepandji told media on Tuesday.

'We are preparing the athletes not to fall prey to an onslaught but to beat their opponents,' he said.

Indonesia will field 46 karateka in the two-day event from June 22 to 23 at Istora Senayan.

A total of ¤23,200 (US$38,820) in prize money will be competed for in the competition that will contest 14 classes and is expected to feature some 500 participants from 50 countries.

As many as 185 participants from 26 countries have already registered and the organizers are confident that the number of athletes and countries will meet expectations.

More than 300 participants from 32 countries came in last year's event in which Indonesia finished in fifth place with one gold and four bronze medals.

'This year, we want to be the best among Southeast Asian nations, third in Asia and tenth, if possible fifth, in the world,' Hendardji said.

It will be not an easy task for Indonesia, even to achieve the regional target given the latest championship in Manila in April when Indonesia had to be content with second place with six gold medals behind neighbor Malaysia with eight.

However, they hope that the hard work during their preparations will produce results, with the athletes also projected to retain the overall championship title in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar in December.

'The athletes have been preparing in the training camp for 14 months. With a promotion and degradation system applied we have the final list of 42 in the training camp,' team manager Djafar Djantang said, adding that the other four members for the competition were the winners from the recent Kasad Cup.

Djafar said the athletes had made significant physical progress having undergone a tight training regime and tested in simulation fights.

The Jakarta meet is the fourth in a series of seven in the WKF Karate1 Premier League, following those in France, Netherlands and Russia. Turkey, Germany and Austria are the other hosting countries.

The appointment of Indonesia to host the premier league event and the world cadet championship in 2015, according to Hendardji, is a sign of the WKF's confidence in the nation.

This year's premier league event marked the third year of cooperation between the national federation and state-owned bank BRI as patron helping to develop the nation through karate, according to Hendardji.

Competition chief Iwan Setiawan said the event organization put the spotlight on Indonesia on the world map of karate.

'This is going to reconfirm that FORKI is on track to become the main reference for the WKF and Asia,' WKF President Antonio Espinos was quoted as saying in his speech to the organizers.