Over 1,290 Athletes Compete In Sixth Asean Paragames

News Focus: OVER 1,290 ATHLETES COMPETE IN SIXTH ASEAN PARAGAMES By Bustanuddin Jakarta, Dec 15 (ANTARTA) - Less than a month after Indonesia successfully conducted the 26th South East Asian Games (SEA Games) in Palembang (South Sumatra) and Jakarta, the country on Thursday (Dec 15) began holding a week-long ASEAN Paragames in Solo. A total of 1,296 handicapped athletes and their officials from 11 countries are taking part in the sixth ASEAN Paragames to vie for 419 gold medals. The gold medals comprising 134 (swimming), 120 (athletics), 45 (sitting table tennis), 32 (chess), 30 (bowling), 20 (weightlifting), 18 (badminton), 7 (sitting tennis court), 2 (sitting volley ball) and one (goal ball). Badminton was the first branch competed for the male group number to fight for gold medals which take place at Solo Sritex arena on Thursday. The Indonesian badminton team manager M. Nurahaman said that the country`s male group was strengthened by the players who grabbed gold medals in the fifth ASEAN Paragames in Malaysia. Six badminton players were set to be fielded at the first game namely Imam Kunantoro, Suryo Nugroho, Trihono, Hari Susanto, Dwiyoko and Iswiyanto, Nurahaman said, explaining that the event is only followed by Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the host Indonesia. "Among the three rivals, we consider that Malaysia is the heaviest rival," Nurahaman said, adding that the badminton qualifiers was scheduled on Thursday at 09.00 am and the final round was at 12.00 noon. On the country`s badminton team, Nurahaman said that Indonesia fielded full team or 23 athletes, and 17 of them are male. The badminton male players who grabbed the gold medals in the previous ASEAN paragames are also expected to maintain the gold medals at the current sixth paragames, he said. In the fifth ASEAN paragames that took place in Malaysia, Indonesian badminton team consisting of Hari Sudanto (male single), Hari and Trihono, Dwiyoko-Iswiyanto (male double) got four gold medals, he said. However, there is no target set for the female team because this is their first participation in the paragames. In the meantime, athletic, swimming, archery, bowling, goal ball, sitting court tennis, sitting table tennis and the sitting volley ball will also be carried out at the Manahan stadium on Friday. The sports event participated in by the handicapped athletes, was scheduled to be officially opened by Vice President Boediono in Solo, Central Java province on Thursday night (Dec 15). The participating countries in the sixth paragames are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mynamar, the Phlippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Timor Leste and the host Indonesia. Meanwhile, in the 26th South East Asian (SEA) Games that ended on Tuesday (Nov 22/2011) and also participated by the 11 countries, Indonesia emerged as the overall champion as it had won the largest number of medals at all the three levels: 182 golds, 151 silvers and 143 bronzes. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyhono officially opened the 26th SEA Games in Jakabaring sports complex, South Sumatra province on Friday night (Nov 11). According to head of the Surakarta (Solo) Culture and Tourism office, Widdianto Srihanto, several Central Java traditional dancers will precede the games at ten several venues of the games. The dancers will among others perform the Gatotkaca, Cakil and Srikandi dancing in the ASEAN biennial sports event and the dancers would be led by choreographer Denny Malik. Srihanto said that the dancers will perform at the Manahan stadium, Tirtomoyo swimming pool and the Bengawan sports center, Diamond Solo Convention Center, Sritex Arena including Sriwedari stadium. The event organizing committee have set that all games are free-of charge, Srihanto said. Prior to the opening ceremony the torch of the ASEAN paragames passed through several districts in Central Java starting Wednesday (Dec 14) and was expected to arrive in Solo city on Thursday (Dec 15), a regional government spokesman said. The torch was ignited at a ceremony at the Mrapen "eternal flame" source in Grobogan district on Wednesday (Dec 14), Agus Utomo, head of the Central Java provincial administration`s public relations office, said. The torch was subsequently carried through the districts of Demak, Semarang, Boyolali, Sukoharjo, Karanganyar, Salatiga and Semarang, and arrived in Solo city or Surakarta on Thursday. After being kept overnight at the Surakarta mayor`s official residence, the torch was finally taken to Solo`s Manahan Stadium where the ASEAN Paragames` opening ceremony took place. In the meantime, the regional military command (Korem 074/Warastratama) Col. Ahmad Supriyadi said that a total of 1,942 security personnel comprising 1,100 Army and the rest from the National Police had been assigned to guard the ASEAN Paragames. As that of the previous 26th SEA Games, the glamorous opening ceremony of the sixth ASEAN paragames is also expected to happen in Solo that is popular with its various types of Batik clothes. The most important thing is of course the Indonesian team will emerge as the overall champion.