Liverpool opens Indonesian academy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 05/14/2011

Liverpool legend Phil Neal officiated the opening of the Liverpool Football Club (LFC) Academy Indonesia in Jakarta on Saturday, the first of its kind in Asia.

The opening ceremony was held at Sumantri Sports Stadium in Kuningan, South Jakarta. As part of the event, Neal gave a coaching clinic to a number of Indonesian kids aged between 7 and 11 years old.

Students of the LFC Academy Indonesian will be automatically registered as members of the International Junior LFC Academy.

Another British soccer club, Arsenal, and Spain’s Real Madrid previously opened similar schools in Indonesia, tribunnews.com reported.

20 Indonesian/Dutch players coming to RI for soccer event

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/09/2011

Twenty Indonesian soccer players of mixed descent from the Netherlands will arrive in Indonesia this Sunday for a special soccer-related event.

Former captain of the Netherlands
’ 2010 World Cup team Giovanni
van Bronckhorst

Among them is former captain of the Netherlands’ 2010 World Cup team Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the President’s special staffer for regional development and autonomy, Felix Wanggai, said Wednesday, as reported by antaranews.com.

They will be in Indonesia for 12 days for a program termed “Indonesia is my country”, which is aimed at motivating Indonesian players, Felix said.

All of the players are of Indonesian and Dutch descent and have played in competitions in Europe.

They will arrive in Indonesia this coming Sunday and leave on March 24. They will first go to Ambon before heading to Jakarta and then to Denpasar. During their visit, they will train young players, conduct workshops for local coaches and play in friendly competitions.

“They are also scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," Felix said.

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Indonesian, American women`s soccer exchange

Antara News, Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Four women`s soccer coaches from the United States held a soccer training clinic on Monday,January 3, 2011 at Jakarta State University for more than 150 young Indonesian women and disabled athletes.

A press release from US Embassy in its official website said the American coaches would also hold clinics in Surabaya, East Java, on January 5, and Pontianak, West Kalimantan on January 7, 2011.

Prior to leaving Jakarta, the coaches shared the stage @america with four female Indonesian athletes (Rally Marina-car racer, Fanny Kalumata, player of the women's national basketball team, Andari Putrianti, member of the Indonesian Youth National Female Softball team and Santia, Silver Medal winner at the SEA GAMES 2010 in Athletics) and Monica Desideria from the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) and ANTV to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing women in sports.

In attendance were approximately 70 female athletes from Jakarta and several members of the press.

The training is part of the "The Indonesia-America Soccer Exchange," made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of State in cooperation with the Center for Civic Education Indonesia.

The program aims to further improve understanding between the people of Indonesia and the United States through the medium of youth sports.

The "Indonesia-America Soccer Exchange" has two components. The first includes three one-day training clinics for female athletes, including disabled athletes, within the 12-20 year-old range and 30 coaches.

After the training sessions in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Pontianak, a smaller group of coaches and athletes will participate in an eight to ten day visit to the United States.

The visiting American coaches include former members of the U.S. Women`s National Soccer Team, U.S. Women`s National Youth Team, and top NCAA university programs who are now elite youth basketball club and high school coaches in the United States.

They are Janine Szpara, Cori Alexander, Rachel Rapinoe, and Karen Willoughby.

Indonesia’s Best Cyclists Head to Netherlands for Pre-Asiad Training Camp

Jakarta Globe, September 16, 2010

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Indonesia’s top riders are leaving no stone unturned in their Asian Games preparations, as they travel to the Netherlands to train for the Guangzhou, China, tournament.

Tonton Susanto and Santia Tri Kusuma, the country’s No. 1 cyclists in the men’s and women’s divisions respectively, will lead a five-strong Indonesia team for a training camp in Alkmaar expected to last six weeks or longer.

Completing the team are Ryan Ariehaan Hilmant, Yanthi Fuchiyanti and Wilhelmina Tutuarima. The team is taking a flight to the Netherlands today.

Tonton and Ryan will compete in the men’s road race in the Asian Games, while Santia and Yanthi will take part in the women’s track events.

Wilhelmina, a top junior prospect, joined the Alkmaar-bound team as part of the Indonesian Cycling Union’s (ISSI) youth development program.

Cycling team manager Denny Gumulya said the Netherlands offered the best training setup for the Indonesian national team because it offered good facilities and many opportunities for competition.

“So our cyclists will have a lot of chances to work on their skills, their endurance, everything that’s necessary to get better,” Denny said. “They mustn’t waste this opportunity, that’s all we ask.”

However, the bar will be set higher for Santia, a bronze medalist in the 2002 Asian Games in Korea.

She has shown improvement in the 500-meter time trial event, posting her best time of 36.847 seconds during the Asian Cycling Confederation Track Asia Cup 2010 in Japan, in June.

Santia finished fourth in the competition, as Hong Kong’s Lee Wai Sze clinched the gold with a time of 35.36 seconds.

Santia’s previous best time was 37.907 seconds, which she registered during last year’s Asian Cycling Championship in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan.

Denny said it was important for Santia to continue lowering her time if she hoped for a podium finish at the Asian Games in November.

“ We’re hoping she can get even faster, because we know she’s our biggest hope for a medal in Guangzhou. We believe training in the Netherlands will help her a lot in this regard,” Denny said.

Santia agreed. “I was in the Netherlands to prepare for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, and it played a big factor as I won the gold medal [in the time trial],” she said.

“I participated in a number of competitions there and got the opportunity to practice with some really good cyclists. That helped me to improve, and hopefully it will pay dividends for me again.” 

Ami Afriatni

China to Help Indonesia

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 20 January, 2010 | 14:38 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Chairperson of the National Sports Council (KONI) Rita Subowo has said that the Chinese government will help managing sports in Indonesia by sending 30 coaches for various sports at schools and building sports counseling centers in eight provinces in Indonesia.

“I met with Chinese Sports Minister deputy Ziaqing Yu on Monday. He said he wanted to help Indonesia to excel in the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This is why they offered us help,” Rita said at her office yesterday.

China will also send talent scouts to Indonesia to search for athletes and potential young athletes.

According to Rita, the collaboration is a long-term project to produce excellent athletes for the future.

Besides planning a long-term collaboration, China will also provide facilities for Indonesian athletes who will carry out training in China before the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.

“But we have not yet determined about which sports will undergo training. It is still being discussed,” Rita said.

She explained that the MoU will be signed after the State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Andi Alifian Mallarangeng has visited China in the near future.

Andi will be visiting China to see the athlete schools, sports facilities and sports management, Rita said.

ARIS M

Gelora Bung Karno Complex To Get a $10.8m Face-Lift

Jakarta Globe, Ami Afriatni

Gelora Bung Karno. (JG Photo/ Afriadi Hikmal)

For the first time in nearly 50 years, Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex will get a major makeover.

Stadium officials on Monday said they had allocated Rp 100 billion ($10.8 million) in preparation for the country’s hosting the 2011 Southeast Asian Games. The exact dates for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games have yet to be set.

The renovation, which will include both the main stadium complex and several surrounding sites, including Istora Indoor Stadium, is schedule to begin sometime between April and May this year and is expected to be finished next year.

“We will also fix all the supporting facilities at the main stadium, such as toilets and players’ changing rooms,” said Dedy Natri Fahrizal, director of finance and general affairs at Gelora Bung Karno.

“We will also use the best technology out there to preserve the grass on the football pitch and prevent it from being damaged after non-sports events are held there.”

Dedy said the complex would host at least six sports during the Games. To meet international standards, the management said it was also renovating the swimming pool and its supporting facilities.

Because the stadium also hosts major local and international entertainment events, political rallies and other activities, the quality of the facilities has deteriorated over the years to the point that it isn’t suitable for hosting an international multisports event.

The last time the 88,000-seat stadium played host to a major sports competition was in 1997 when it hosted the SEA Games. It also welcomed the 2007 Asian Cup, but Indonesia co-hosted that tournament with three other countries.

Gelora Bung Karno was built in 1962, just before it hosted the 4th Asian Games and long before Indonesia was included in the SEA Games program. Indonesia first competed in the regional tournament in 1977. And it has never been undergone major renovation since it’s being built 48 years ago.

Dedy said the money for the renovation work would come from the stadium’s finances. Since the sports complex was transformed into a private company in August 2008, the government has stopped allocating funds for its operations.

The stadium’s income comes from commercial landholding cooperations with malls and hotels, and from rental fees for nonsports events.

“Our target this year is to earn Rp 166 billion, so I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to cover the renovation and maintenance costs,” Dedy said.

Meanwhile, the State Ministry for Youth and Sports Affairs submitted a Rp 1.57 trillion budget proposal to the House of Representatives on Tuesday for the 2011 SEA Games.

Wafid Muharam, the ministry’s secretary, told the Jakarta Globe that the proposal was for financing renovation projects and did not include the budget for athletes’ performance incentives.

“The proposal includes the renovation of facilities for venues in four other host provinces,” Wafid said.

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China to Help Indonesia

Indomaret appointed as World Cup official event store

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/08/2009 7:28 PM

FIFA’s exclusive worldwide master licensee, the Global Brands Group, has appointed local retail chain Indomaret as 2010 FIFA World Cup Official Event store.

Indomaret marketing director Laurensius Tirta Widjaja told a press conference on Tuesday that Indomaret would sell around 300 kinds of exclusive FIFA World Cup official licensed products from January to July 2010.

“We are looking forward to roll out the 2010 FIFA World Cup Official Event Stores in Indonesia. We are expecting to see these merchandise sales to reach more than Rp 1 billion (US$ 106,000) by July next year,” he said.

The FIFA World Cup will take place in South Africa and will begin June 11, 2010 and finish July 11, 2010. Billions of viewers are expected to watch the event’s 64 games. (adh)

Arts Buildings to be Constructed

Tempo Interactive, Monday, 07 December, 2009 | 16:59 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Bogor: The West Java Government will build full facilities sport centers and large scale arts buildings in five areas of West Java.

One of them will be at Bogor. “Large scale arts buildings will be constructed in several regions, among them Bandung, Bogor and Cirebon. At the moment, they are in planning stage,” said West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan after the inauguration of the Mandapa Pelataran Pakujajar Pakuan building, last Saturday.

According to the governor, the construction of these buildings will be financed from the 2010 regional budget.

Besides that, the region has prepared a Rp3 billion fund to help build 15 hermitages in West Java.

DEFFAN PURNAMA

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Ministry opens 1,500 civil servant vacancies for athletes, coaches

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/14/2009 11:43 AM

State Ministry for Sports and Youth Affairs has open around 1,500 vacancies in regional offices across the archipelago for athletes and coaches.

“The main qualification is a gold medal winner in a National Games,” Wafid Muharram, secretary of the ministry, said Saturday as quoted by kompas.com.

The maximum ages to apply for the vacancies are 35 years old for athletes and 40 for coaches, much more lenient that standard civil servant qualification, he said.

Last year, the ministry opened around 800 vacancies in the same program, but only have of them were filled.

The Indonesian Sport Council (KONI) has been working to provide post-playing career employment options for athletes.

Many notable athletes, especially in the past when prize winnings were small and sponsorship was rare, have faced a difficult life when they retired.

Fifteen countries to join Tour of Singkarak cycling race

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 04/02/2009 4:06 PM

Fifteen countries have so far expressed commitment to participate in the Tour of Singkarak 2009 cycling race to be held in West Sumatra April 29 to May 3, 2009.

Culture and tourism ministry's director general Sapta Nirwandar said in Jakarta on Thursday that the countries include New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Iran, Australia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Qatar.

"Around 85 percent of the construction works of new routes for the cycling race has been completed," he said as quoted by Antara state news agency.

Participants of the Tour of Singkarak will cover a total distance of 459 km and compete for a total prize of US$60,000.

The race route is to consist of four segments: Padang-Bukittinggi segment (92.3 km), Bukittinggi-Sawahlunto segment (85.1 km), Sawahlunto-Danau Singkarak segment (90.2 km), and Lake Singkarak- lake Kembar - Lake Singkarak segment (188 km).

The cycling race, which is aimed at promoting tourism in West Sumatra Province, will be accompanied by music concerts, a food festival, and a fun bike event.

West Sumatra Province was visited by a total of 1.4 million tourists, including about 100,000 foreigners, last year, he said.

The province has set a target of receiving at least 1.5 million tourists in 2009.

East Timor to be Home for New Golf Resort

Cybergolf

The developer that built Malaysia's Sutera Harbour resort plan to build the first luxury resort in East Timor. Edward Ong, the principal of the Singapore-based Ock Group, will build the soon-to-be-named resort on a coastal setting outside East Timor's capital of Dili. The resort will consist of a 350-room hotel (the nation's first five-star hotel), a business park, and a 27-hole golf complex.

The resort will be modeled after the 348-acre Sutera Harbour resort in Sabah, Malaysia, which Ong opened in 2000. Sutera Harbour has two hotels (956 total rooms), a marina, a spa, and a 27-hole, Graham Marsh-designed golf complex.

East Timor, Asia's newest country, is in Indonesia, 400 miles northwest of Australia. It won its independence in 2002 after considerable violence and internal strife. The country is still struggling to build an economy - its unemployment rate is said to be 40 percent - and it lacks dependable electrical power and necessities such as a large airport and office space.

Initially, the resort will target business travelers. But Ong hopes East Timor will eventually generate enough tourism to warrant the construction of more hotel rooms and other attractions. "It's a virgin place that people have not explored yet," said Ong, who hopes to open the resort in 2012.

This story originally appeared in Asian Golf Business.

VP to chair coordination meeting in Lombok airport

The Jakarta Post, Sat, 03/28/2009 6:51 PM

Vice President Jusuf Kalla is scheduled to chair a coordination meeting on the Lombok International Airport (BIL) and tourism development projects in Mataram, Lombok, on Sunday morning, a local administration official said.

"The vice president will chair the consultation meeting soon after arriving at Selaparang airpot in Mataram on Sunday morning," Andi Hadiyanto, offical spokesman of the West Nusatemggara (NTB) provincial administration, said as quoted by Antara Saturday.

He said the vice president and his entourage would leave Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta at 6 local time on Sunday morning and arrive at Selaparang airport at 8:50 a.m. local time.

"After the meeting at Selaparang airport, the vice president and his entourage will proceed to Satya Graha building at No.8 Ahmad Yani street for a Golkar Party internal activity," Hadiyanto said.

Hadiyanto said at 11 a.m. the vice president would also inspect Turda sport stadium on Tuan Guru Faisal street to obtain first hand information about the physical condition of West Nusa Tenggara foot ball trainers.

Then, at noon, Kalla and his entourage would leave Selaparang airport for East Nusa Tenggara's provincial capital of Kupang.

Central Java to host 2011 SEA Games

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/24/2009 5:35 PM  |  Sports 

The Central Java province, alongside West Java and South Sumatra will be hosting the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in 2011, National Sports Council (KONI) chairman Rita Subowo said. 

"We will suggest Candi Borobudur as the 2011 SEA Games logo. Candi Borobudur represents the spirit of the nation. Our ancestors were able to work together in building the massive temple, a spirit to uphold," Subowo told The Jakarta Post. 

She said the Central KONI committee would discuss the idea with the KONI committees of West Java and South Sumatera. 

"We nead to regain glory in Southeast Asia," Subowo added, referring to Indonesia's decreasing sportmanship after the Asian economic and political crisis. 

According Subowo, at least three sporting competitions would take place in Central Java, namely bilyard, sepak takraw and shooting. 

"We deliberately chose sports that have taken root in the regions and carry the potential to develop with a sporting event like SEA Games," she said. 

Central Java KONI chairman Soediro Atmoprawiro added that there were several other sporting events that can take place in Central Java: wall-climbing, archery, athletics, swimming and traditional martial arts 'pencak silat'. 

"We're currently building a new stadium equipped with various sporting facilities in Salatiga based on funds provided by the Minister of Health," Atmoprawiro said. 

No mentioning has yet been made as regard the total budget allocated for the event, "we're still in process of discussing it," Subowo said. (amr)

Indonesia Vice President to invite Guus Hidink

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President  M Jusuf Kalla has said that mutual approaches are being carried out to invite Dutch soccer coach Guus Hidink to train Indonesia's national soccer players under the All-Indonesia Football Association (PSSI). 

"I have asked Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Hamid Awaluddin to find out whether Guus Hidink still has the time to train our soccer players,"  Jusuf Kalla said after Friday prayers in Jakarta Friday. 

He also said that talks had already been held with the Russian version of KONI on the possibility of Guus Hidink coming to Indonesia, because he is now a coach of the Russian national soccer team. 

In the meantime,  Guus Hidink has signed a contract with the  Chelsea soccer club.

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Indonesia joins race to host 2018, 2022 World Cup

Indonesia joins race to host 2018, 2022 World Cup

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Zurich | Wed, 01/28/2009 8:47 PM  

The Indonesian football federation officially expressed interest in staging one of the tournaments to FIFA late Tuesday, becoming the sixth potential host to show interest ahead of Monday's deadline. 

England, Japan, Qatar, Russia and a joint Spain-Portugal candidacy have already declared intentions to bid. 

Other contenders including Australia, a combined Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg proposal, Canada, China, Mexico and the United States are expected to enter the first stage of a two-year selection process before the cutoff. 

Though its team is currently No. 14 in the FIFA world rankings, Indonesia fulfills one major requirement of hosting the world's most-watched sports event - it has a stadium capable of holding at least 80,000 spectators for th opening match and final. 

The government-owned Bung Karno Stadium in the capital Jakarta has a capacity of 88,000 and staged the 2007 Asian Cup final, when Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0. 

Indonesia has previously made World Cup history. 

It became the first Asian nation to play at a World Cup, at the 138 tournament in France under its colonial name of the Dutch East Indies. The team lost 6-0 to eventual runner-up Hungary in a first-round match at Reims. 

Indonesia was quickly knocked out of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup being played in South Africa. It advanced through the Asian first round when oppoent Guam withdrew, then lost 11-1 to Syria in a two-legged series in November 2007. 

FIFA began the process of choosing the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts two weeks ago. It will issue official bid forms next month, which must be returned by March 16. 

Candidates capable of providing around 12 stadiums eac holding at least 40,000 fans can apply for either the 2018 or the 2022 tournament, or for both. 

FIFA said no South American country can apply for either tournament because Brazil is hosting the 2014 edition. African countries can bid only for the 2022 event because South Africa is hosting next year. 

The hosts will be chosen by FIFA's 24-man executive committee in December 2010. 

If successful, Indonesia would be the second World Cup host from Asia. The 2002 tournament was played in Japan and South Korea.