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Porlasi enhances preparations for Asian Games
New guy: Indonesian Sports Committee (KONI) chief Tono Suratman (right) poses with the newly officiated chief of the Indonesian Sailing Federation (Porlasi), Rear Adm
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New guy: Indonesian Sports Committee (KONI) chief Tono Suratman (right) poses with the newly officiated chief of the Indonesian Sailing Federation (Porlasi), Rear Adm. Darwanto, in Jakarta on Wednesday.(JP/Don) (KONI) chief Tono Suratman (right) poses with the newly officiated chief of the Indonesian Sailing Federation (Porlasi), Rear Adm. Darwanto, in Jakarta on Wednesday.(JP/Don)
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span class="inline inline-center">New guy: Indonesian Sports Committee (KONI) chief Tono Suratman (right) poses with the newly officiated chief of the Indonesian Sailing Federation (Porlasi), Rear Adm. Darwanto, in Jakarta on Wednesday.(JP/Don)
The Indonesian Sailing Federation (Porlasi) is looking to step up efforts to prepare a squad with a view toward enhancing the country's medal prospect at the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the 2018 Asian Games at home.
The next SEA Games will be held in Malaysia, while the Asian Games will be co-hosted by Jakarta and Palembang.
Porlasi's new chief, Rear Adm. Darwanto, said Wednesday that he was aware about the country's lack of top performing athletes in the field and that talent scouting, training camps and overseas tryouts would become his priority.
'We need to map Indonesian sailing athletes from across the country. It is important to sort them out,' Darwanto told media after his inauguration ceremony in Jakarta.
He expects a tough job with Indonesia, despite being a maritime country, is struggling in international events.
Over the past years, windsurfer I Gusti Made Oka Sulaksana has been the only top performing athlete in sailing.
For the Dubai event in March, which also serves as a qualifying field for this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Indonesia will again fall back on the 44-year-old veteran and his junior Ahmad Zainudin. Oka will be competing in the RS6 class and Zainudin in laser.
Bali-born Oka won two Asian Games gold medals in 1998 and 2002. In 2006's Asian Games, he brought home a bronze medal. In the Olympics, Oka represented the country in Atlanta in 1996, in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008.
The upcoming quadrennial National Games (PON) in Bandung in September and the SEA Games will also serve as a selection field for national athletes for the Asian Games to follow.
The Dubai outing, as well as a Japan camp planned in October, are expected to shape up the athletes' skills.
Darwanto hoped the athletes could benefit from the training camp when they would be expected to learn more about theories, practices, techniques and tricks as well as competition rules.
'Techniques and tricks are two different things. Reading the wind, that's technique, but when it comes to finding the right setting for your sail in a certain weather condition, that's a trick,' said the Navy's eastern fleet commander.
The federation recently hosted a local sailing camp in Jakarta with more camps to follow in the coming months.
In a bid to increase the medal chances, the federation is offering top performing athletes opportunities to enter the military, especially the Navy.
'Athletes who have achieved well by making their country proud in international competitions ' for example winning a gold medal ' are welcome to join the military,' he said.
