World Report

ndonesia’s sports stars are looking ahead with relish to this summer’s Olympic Games in Athens. They hope to
emulate the triumph of the country’s only gold medalists, the now married badminton couple, Susi Susanti and Alan Budi Kusuma, who took gold in Barcelona in 1992.

Indonesia has already secured slots in 18 events and wants to participate in others, including badminton, through qualifiers in the run-up to the Games.

The National Sports Council says the country will be represented in events ranging from archery and weightlifting, to tae kwon do and windsurfing. Entry in the tennis and track-and-field events has also been secured through the wild-card system.

The Council is taking preparations seriously and has no illusions about the scope of the task ahead. It has earmarked approximately £2 million to finance training.