Budget should be Geared toward Coaching, not Extravagant Bonuses
There are still many up-and-coming athletes in the country who have yet to receive adequate support. The majority of them still practice in makeshift facilities and lack adequate coaching.
By
ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH
·5 minutes read
ANTARA FOTO/ADITYA PRADANA PUTRA
Women\'s doubles badminton winner Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Apriyani Rahayu arrives at Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday (4/8/2021). In addition to Greysia and Apriyani, badminton players Anthony Ginting, Praveen Jordan, lifters Rahmat Erwin Abdullah, Nurul Akmal, shooter Vidya Rafika, sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri, and Alvin Tehupeiory were also included in the last batch of the Indonesian contingent returning from Japan.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics women’s badminton doubles gold medalists Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, along with the rest of the Indonesian contingent, arrived back in the country on Wednesday (4/8/2021) at midnight. Although greeted modestly, abundant bonuses await the heroic athletes.
Men’s badminton singles player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and weightlifter Rahmad Erwin Abdullah, both bronze medalists, also joined the group. Before undergoing quarantine in the country, they were greeted by a number of officials, including Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali.
The central and regional governments, as well as the private sector and start-ups, have all lined up to give the medalists bonuses, especially for Greysia and Apriyani. At least 41 types of bonuses have been promised, including cash, houses, land, livestock, business outlets, scholarships, cell phones and free holidays. The central government, for one, promised a bonus of Rp 5 billion (US$348,416) for the gold medalists.
According to sports observer Fritz E Simanjuntak, Greysia and Apriyani, as well as the other winners, deserved such generous bonuses. The bonuses serve as a form of appreciation for their struggles to strive for their goals, which have raised the dignity and spirit of all Indonesians amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They have provided tremendous inspiration to this nation,” Fritz said on Thursday.
However, he pointed out that there are still many up-and-coming athletes in the country who have yet to receive adequate support. The majority of them still practice in makeshift facilities and lack adequate coaching.
They have provided tremendous inspiration to this nation.
Fritz cited the condition of Rahmat’s former training ground in the Mattoangin Stadium area, South Sulawesi, in October 2019. The training ground, measuring 5 meters by 5 m, has heavy equipment that is rusty, and its technology is still decades behind. However, even in those conditions, Rahmat was still able to win a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.
FRITZ E SIMANJUNTAK UNTUK KOMPAS
The training ground for Rahmat Erwin Abdullah, a 73 kg class lifter, in one corner of the Mattoangin Stadium, Makassar, South Sulawesi, mid-October 2019. Rahmat won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Considering the lack of attention from both the local administrations and the gym’s branch managers, Fritz also doubts a new training ground would be constructed, one with more adequate equipment compared to the weightlifting gym that has been demolished.
“It was heartbreaking when I saw that place,” he said.
Indonesian Sports University sports and health education lecturer Dikdik Zafar Sidik echoed Fritz’s sentiment. He said bonuses should be awarded to outstanding athletes but also given out wisely. Otherwise, they could backfire in the future.
“If the number of outstanding athletes continues to grow [especially in the Olympics], the government will overwhelm itself because it is used to giving extravagant bonuses,” he said.
In contrast to Indonesia, several developed countries provide much smaller cash bonuses. The United States, for one, only awards its gold medalists a bonus of $37,500. However, until last night, the US has won 29 gold medals.
The US is oriented toward winning more gold medals and competing with China, which has collected 34 gold medals so far in the Games. Thus, the US spends more of its sports budget on coaching as opposed to bonuses.
“If we want our achievements to increase, the training and coaching process needs to be more respected,” Dikdik said.
FOTO/ADITYA PRADANA PUTRA
Women\'s doubles badminton winner Tokyo 2020 Olympics Greysia Polii (right) touching fists with PBSI General Chair Agung Firman Sampurna (center) witnessed by Menpora Zainudin Amali (second right) and Deputy Chair of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) Warih Sadono (left) upon arrival at Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday (4/8/2021).
He hopes that athlete development will improve in Indonesia so that the country can win more gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In order for this process to run smoothly, the budget must be adjusted to the program and not the other way around.
“If the budget is concentrated on the training process, we’ll have the opportunity to see even better achievements in the Olympics. For example, we could support 61-kilogram lifter Eko Yuki Irawan to win gold,” he said, referring to the athlete who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
A Paradigm Shift
In an online press conference, Zainudin said the government would be making an extreme paradigm shift in sports coaching. This was stated in the National Sports Grand Design (GDON) draft and the revision of the National Sports System (SKN) Law.
The main target for national sports achievement is the Olympics, not the Asian Games or the Southeast Asian (SEA Games). Moreover, the benchmark for success will be in ranking, not medals. This step was made to encourage the expansion of the projection base for the medal-winning branches. Thus far, Indonesia has relied on two sports to secure Olympic medals, namely badminton and weightlifting.
The government plans to establish 14 flagship branches. They will be prioritized in budget support and coaching, which will be supported by, among others, programs run by state-owned enterprises.
“The implementation of the GDON will not only be carried out by the Youth and Sports Ministry. Due to the limited budget, we will also cooperate with other relevant ministries and agencies,” Zainudin said.
