Pencak silat originated in Indonesia, but that fact did little for the country during the 2009 Southeast Asian Games.
Of the 17 gold medals up for grabs in the martial art in Vientiane, Laos, Indonesian competitors managed just two. Vietnam won the most pencak silat golds with six, followed by Malaysia with four.
Indonesia’s slide from the pinnacle of pencak silat can be traced to the progress of the sport in other Southeast Asian countries. That development, in turn, is partly due to Indonesian coaches going abroad to encourage the martial art’s growth.
In order to make the sport better known around the world, the World Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) asked the Indonesian federation to send its coaches around the globe beginning in the 1980s.
“The sport has been gaining more popularity in Vietnam,” former Vietnam pencak silat coach Suhartono recalled in an interview in Laos. “When I left the country in 2005, there were almost 70,000 people training in pencak silat.”
The work by Suhartono, an Indonesian, was one part of Vietnam’s gold rush during the SEA Games.
He trained Vietnamese athletes from 1995-2005. Asked to introduce pencak silat to Vietnam just before the 1995 SEA Games, his assistance made an immediate impact as he helped the country to three gold medals that year.
Under Suhartono’s guidance, Vietnam won seven golds at the 2001 Games in Malaysia. He left Vietnam to coach the Philippines in 2005 before going on to lead Thailand when it hosted the 2007 Games and Brunei Darussalam in 2009.
“I’m facing a bigger challenge in Brunei. It’s been hard to lure people to the sport there. Sport is only a leisure activity for most of them, so it’s hard to make them an athlete,” said Suhartono, who is contracted with the country until 2011.
Despite the challenges, he believes pencak silat will blossom in Brunei with the government’s full support.
Suriatno is another Indonesian coach enjoying success abroad. He took charge of the Laos team just four months prior to the 2009 Games and led it to one gold medal — its first SEA Games gold in pencak silat — two silvers and four bronzes.
It was his second spell in Laos after coaching it for eight months before the 2007 Games.
“Laos has some potential athletes, but there are obstacles I have to face in improving the athletes’ performances,” Surianto said.
One of the main problems, he continued, was the propensity of Lao people, not just athletes, to drink beer.
“Consuming alcoholic drinks will, of course, affect their performances,” he said. “But in the end, I persuaded them not to drink on training days and it worked.”
Pencak silat’s growth is evident in places other than Asia.
It has gained a foothold in Europe, thanks in part to the efforts of O’ong Maryono. The 54-year-old coach had been developing the sport in Europe since 1989, when he worked with the Sports and Recreation Development Division of the Amsterdam City Government to introduce pencak silat to the Dutch and received a warm welcome.
He later moved to Italy and Croatia before returning to Asia to train in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
“I found Europeans more interested in pencak silat for its four basic philosophies that makes the sport different from other martial arts,” he said.
“They are interested not only in the martial art, but also the spiritual aspect. The silaturrahim [meeting to strengthen the bond among members] culture in pencak silat really attracts them. That’s why in Europe, the league runs very well. Besides, the sport’s development is also financially supported.”
For his efforts, O’ong received a scholarship from the Ford Foundation to foster the pencak silat culture. He returned to Indonesia in 1993 to begin work on one of his life-long projects, which was released in the form of a book entitled “Pencak Silat Merentang Waktu” (Pencak Silat Across Time) in 1998.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com, Dec 25, 2009)
28/09/10
ndonesian Coaches Raise Pencak Silat’s Profile
05/09/10
Indonesian Weightlifter Dewi Safitri Puts in Work as Career Takes Flight
Traveling around the world is one of the perks of being a national athlete of Dewi Safitri’s caliber. As a 17-year-old, the junior weightlifter has taken her talents to countries other Indonesian kids of her age can only dream of visiting.
“Singapore is the fourth country I’ve ever been to,” Dewi said on Friday, upon arriving from the recently concluded Youth Olympic Games held in the city-state.
“I enjoy traveling,” she added, “and to be honest, I’m always happy to see my passport being stamped in different countries. It’s really cool.”
The life of a jet-setting national athlete, whose expenses in overseas competitions are all paid for by the government , is certainly enticing for any teenager. But that’s not to say trips like these are merely about seeing the sights or shopping.
For Dewi, traveling abroad means accomplishing a task first and foremost — to compete and win. And as far as getting the job done, Dewi rarely disappoints.
Participating for the first time in an international tournament, Dewi placed seventh in the girls’ 53-kilogram category at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Thailand in 2008.
In December 2009, she flew to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the Asian Junior Under-17 Championships, where she emerged the winner.
In April, Dewi was fielded in the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan, the qualifying tournament for the Youth Olympics. Again she lived up to expectations, finishing third in her favorite event and locking a spot in the Singapore Games.
Dewi’s impressive run of form continued in the Youth Olympics this month as she came away with the most important result of her career — a bronze medal at these Games that prevented a medal shutout for Indonesia.
The opportunity to see the world is something Dewi doesn’t want to waste, and she knows she can only keep that dream alive if she keeps performing well.
“I know that I have to be at the top of my game all the time so that the people supporting me will continue to trust me to send me abroad and represent the country in tournaments,” Dewi said.
Without weightlifting, Dewi would not have been able to get out of her hometown in Bekasi, much less fly out of the country.
Dewi’s father earns a living driving an ojek (motorcycle taxi), while her mother, a housewife, spends more time with Dewi and her nine siblings at home.
Dewi joined a national weightlifting training camp in Bekasi in 2003, because she wanted to help her family’s financial situation.
“By being a national athlete, I know I could do my part in fulfilling my family’s needs,” Dewi said. “But to me, it’s become more than that. As a weightlifter, I get to realize my dreams too.”
Ade Lukman, head of the athletics commission at the Indonesia Olympic Committee (KOI), said the committee was preparing Dewi and the other Indonesian Youth Olympians for bigger tournaments, with the ultimate target being the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
A stint in Brazil has Dewi excited no doubt, and she knows what needs to be done to get another stamp in her passport.
“It all boils down to hard work,” she said. “Everything else will just take care of itself.”
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 30, 2010. Photo: JG)
Indonesia to Host Uruguay, Ivory Coast Friendlies
By: Wimbo Satwiko
The search for quality opponents for the national football team has turned up friendly matches against Uruguay and Ivory Coast, two countries that featured in the World Cup finals in South Africa, officials have said.
The National Team Body (BTN) said on Friday that Indonesia has been scheduled to host World Cup semifinalist Uruguay on Oct. 9 and former African champion Ivory Coast on Oct. 13.
BTN previously said it was trying to arrange matches against South American giants Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina has now been ruled out after it closed its tour schedule without Indonesia on its calendar, but BTN is still hoping to confirm five-time world champ Brazil. BTN has submitted a proposal to the Brazilian Football Confederation for a Nov. 9 friendly.
BTN head Iman Arif said Ivory Coast would likely bring some of its Premier League stars when it came to Indonesia. “Didier Drogba may not join the team, but the Ivory Coast federation has confirmed it will send its best players like [Chelsea’s] Salomon Kalou and [Manchester City’s] Yaya and Kolo Toure,” Iman said.
The cost of bringing the foreign teams to the country to play the friendlies is expected to be shouldered by a consortium of private companies.
To get Brazil, BTN, through a match organizer, will have to come up with $1.5 million in fees. The price for hosting Uruguay and Ivory Coast will be much lower, but financial details were not discussed by Iman.
Indonesia has had few matches against quality opposition in recent years, which some say is why the Merah Putih has struggled in international play.
While Indonesia has settled for friendlies against two second-tier domestic clubs this month, its Southeast Asian neighbors have already confirmed tune-ups against international sides.
Singapore is coming off a two-week training in Serbia, where it faced several domestic clubs. Vietnam is slated to meet North Korea for a friendly on Sept. 24.
As expected, Indonesia easily won its two matches against the Premier Division sides, routing Persita Tang erang 4-1 on Thursday and Pro Titan 3-0 on Sunday.
Arif Suyono, Bambang Pamungkas and M Isnani each scored on Sunday, with national team coach Alfred Riedl heading into the Idul Fitri break with the belief his team “played much better than last Thursday.”
Football officials have been scrambling to secure fixtures for the national team. BTN said it was also in talks for matches against China on Nov. 21 and East Timor on Nov. 24.
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) said it received an invitation from Kuwait for a friendly on Oct. 17, but its secretary general Nugraha Besoes said it would likely decline the offer.
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com, Sept. 6, 2010)
Taufik Loses Out to Chen at Paris Badminton Worlds
Taufik Hidayat left another world championships without a title, and it was a familiar foe who got in his way again.
Indonesia’s top men’s singles shuttler had no answers for emerging Chinese star Chen Jin, losing 21-13, 21-15 in the final in Paris on Sunday.
Throughout the match at Pierre de Coubertin Stadium, Chen showed better movement and discipline than Taufik, and picked his moments to ram home vicious smashes.
Chen also denied Taufik many chances to win points at the net, traditionally one of the Indonesian’s strengths.
Chen also ousted Taufik from last year’s world championships in Hyderabad, India, romping past the Indonesian in two easy sets in the semifinals.
“Chen is better. Now I will go home and start preparing for the Asian Games,” Taufik said after the Paris final.
Taufik won the world championship in 2005 but is still searching for a second title. Paris was the closest he has come to ending the drought.
Despite the comprehensive loss, Taufik played down Sunday’s defeat and said that overall, he was happy with the tournament.
“I didn’t have any pressure. … If I lost I was happy, and if I won I was happy,” Taufik said.
“The world championships were not my target before coming here. I’m preparing for the Asian Games, which only happen every four years.”
For the second straight world championships, Indonesia failed to bring home a title, the first time the country has come home empty-handed at consecutive worlds since a spell of five fruitless campaigns between 1983 and 1991.
Besides Taufik, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan were the only Indonesians to even make it to the semifinals.
However, the men’s doubles pair lost 21-16, 21-13 to Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China in the semifinals on Saturday.
Additional reporting by AFP
(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 29, 2010)