Daddy, why are we Atletico fans?

Mark Elkington

Reuters/MADRID

Many expected a club from the Spanish capital to be playing in a European final this season. The big surprise is that the club is Atletico and not Real Madrid.

Real's multi-million-euro spending spree last summer was partly inspired by the chance to win a tenth European Cup in this year's Champions League final at their own Bernabeu stadium on May 22.

Instead, it is their scruffier, less-fashionable neighbours who are rounding off a European adventure that started in the Champions League and is ending with a trip to Hamburg to play Fulham in Europe's second-tier club competition on Wednesday.

Real fans may look down their noses but success-starved Atletico supporters are determined to milk the moment, camping outside their club's stadium overnight in near-freezing temperatures in the hope of getting a ticket.

Why, though, do thousands continue to support Atletico in the shabby 55,000-seat Vicente Calderon, underneath which runs the M-30 motorway, when they could be watching Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and company in the luxury of the heated Bernabeu?

"I don't know why really. There's no logical explanation," Miguel Angel, an unemployed 29-year-old, told Reuters as he queued for tickets.

"Only my father supported them in my family, everyone else supported Real. Obviously supporting Atletico is much more difficult, but with us it isn't all about titles.

"It's about the passion and the atmosphere at the games. With them (Real), it's all about money."

The Calderon's rowdier atmosphere, warmed by lusty songs and chanting, is in marked contrast to the Bernabeu's less boisterous and more refined ambiance.

If Miguel Angel fails to get a ticket, he even has a second chance at a final because Atletico are also playing in the King's Cup trophy match against Sevilla a week later.

EMPTY MUSEUM

Atletico's museum, in the bowels of the stadium, proudly displays the trophies from their nine league titles, nine King's Cups and the 1962 European Cup winners' Cup but recent successes are thin on the ground.

Maybe that is why this reporter was the only visitor apart from a Dutchman and his two sons on a recent day.

Atletico last won silverware in 1996 when they claimed a league and cup double, but relegation to the second division in 2000 for two years had a damaging effect on the prestige and psyche of the club.

Financial problems, 11 coaches since 2000 and a failure to beat their city rivals in 11 years have dented their claim to be Spain's third power behind Real and Barcelona.

Real fans delight in calling them "Patetico de Madrid".

Another term regularly used in the media is "el pupas" (the unfortunate ones) which came into being after they conceded a freak last-minute goal in extra time against Bayern Munich in the 1974 European Cup final. They were crushed in the replay.

Their fans are known as "los sufridores" (the sufferers) and the club helped to perpetuate this "victim" culture with an award-winning season-ticket campaign a few years ago where a child asked his father: "Daddy, why are we Atletico fans?"

The fact that Atletico now have some 48,000 season-ticket holders means it must have struck a chord.

"They're mad," says the owner of a cafe close to the stadium that is decorated with Atletico paraphernalia.

"One minute they're complaining and threatening to throw away their season tickets, but still they come back, and the next minute they're happy and very excited.

"The difference with Real is Atletico has extreme ups and downs. Real are more consistent."

Then he whispers so other customers cannot hear that he is actually a Real Madrid fan.

"Business is business," he says with a grin. "I hope Atletico's success continues. Two games a week is good for us."

ALARMING INCONSISTENCY

Atletico's alarming inconsistency has been glaringly obvious this season. They are the only team to have beaten Barcelona in the league yet they also lost at home to bottom club Xerez.

They sacked coach Abel Resino in October after a poor start to the campaign and they have gradually turned things around under his replacement Quique Sanchez Flores.

Miguel Angel credited him with having engineered Atletico's unexpected end-of-season success.

"Quique has changed things," he said. "The team haven't been playing particularly well but he has been getting results, in the Cups at least.

"Most importantly he got players like (Jose Antonio) Reyes and (Luis) Perea playing well again, and (Diego) Forlan scoring goals. That has been the main difference."

When asked if he thought Atletico would win one or both cups, he shrugged.

"It's possible. With this team anything is possible."

GetRTR 3.00 -- MAY 10, 2010 18:15:14

Road running defies the recession

John Mehaffey

Reuters/London

Road running is defying the global economic turmoil with record numbers entering the big city races.

Caption: Runners start the London men's marathon in London April 25, 2010. Road running is defying the global economic turmoil with record numbers entering the big city races. (Reuters/Stefan Wermuth

In last month's London marathon a record 36,549 runners had crossed the finish line by seven o'clock in the evening. The starting field of 36,984 was the largest in the 30-year history of the event.

February's Tokyo marathon had more than 310,000 applicants for 35,000 places in the marathon and 10-km race. The 21,000 places for the Austrian women's run this month over five and 10 kms were filled in a record 45 days.

Figures collated by Running USA, a non-profit organization devoted to road running, show 2009 was another year of record growth in the United States.

An estimated 467,000 people finished marathons, an increase of nearly 10 percent and the largest percentage increase for 25 years. "To date, 2010 looks as promising," the report said.

In a telephone interview from Santa Barbara, California, Running USA media director Ryan Lamppa said he believed several factors had contributed to the road-running boom.

"In an economy when people are watching their pennies they are going to look at where can I can cut off my budget, I'll cut off Starbucks, I'll cut off the gym. But they are not cutting out running because it is inexpensive," he said.

"I think another factor is more psychological: running makes you feel good, and it gives you energy back, it helps to blow off stress.

"But I think the more salient point is that running gives you something you can control. For the past couple of years there have been things that are out of control, the stock market and, in some cases, our jobs.

"People in general want to have some order in their life and when you have as much chaos as was thrown at us over the past two-plus years here is an outlet for you that does give you a sense of control, that makes you feel good and it's also inexpensive and affordable and convenient."

There have been two distinct road-running booms in the United States over the past 40 years.

The first was stimulated by Frank Shorter's gold medal in the men's marathon at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the feats of his contemporary Bill Rogers. The pair won the New York and Boston marathons four times each between 1975 and 1980.

"That first running boom was a narrow niche of people and it tended to be the more competitive runners," Lamppa said.

"By the 1980s that first running boom started to implode, our sport hadn't reached mainstream America then as it has now."

Lamppa said the second running boom had been inspired by celebrity television host Oprah Winfrey, who fulfilled her ambition of completing a marathon before her 40th birthday in 1994.

"She is the near-perfect symbol of the new runner because she found time to do that marathon and she did two shows on it," he said.

"She exposed our sport to millions and millions of women who didn't care or give a hoot about the marathon. She helped inspire a whole generation of new runners who no longer had the excuse of 'Well, I don't have a runner's body or I'm too busy'."

Lamppa said the information boom and, in particular, the internet had stripped much of the mystique away from the marathon with detailed training programs for people who 30 years ago would not have considered attempting 42.195 kms.

"That sort of information wasn't there 30 years ago, it was in a book or the coach's head. This boom has lasted longer than the first running boom and as far as we can tell it's hasn't plateaued yet."

Anyway

Seorang teman, Wilson Therik, menulis di blognya sebuah puisi yang ia terjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Melayu Kupang dengan judul “Biar Karmana ju” (Bagaimanapun).

Saya jadi ingat sebuah peristiwa ‘kebetulan’ yang menimpa saya beberapa saat sebelumnya. Beberapa saat sebelum saya melihat tulisan Wilson itu, saya membeli sebuah buku berjudul “Jesus did it Anyway-The Paradoxical Commandments for Christians” di Kinokuniya Senayan. Saat saya membacanya saya teringat sebuah lagu yang diberikan oleh teman dan mantan guru saya Dr. John Campbell-Neslon sebagai hadiah perkawinan saya. Ternyata puisi yang diterjemahkan Wilson itu, buku itu dan lyric lagu itu berasal dari satu sumber: Kent M. Keith.

Kent M. Keith menulis “Paradoxical Commandments” ketika ia seorang mahasiswa Harvard berusia 19 tahun. Tulisannya itu merupakan bagian dari booklet yang ia tulis untuk para pemimpin siswa SMA dengan judul “The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council”. Booklet itu pertama kali diterbitkan oleh Harvard Student Agencies pada tahun 1968. Antara tahun 1968 and 1972 terjual sekitar 30,000 copy.

Kent menjalani hidupnya setelah itu dan selama 25 tahun ia tidak tahu apa yang terjadi dengan The Paradoxical Commandments. Pada tahun 1997 barulah Kent tahu bahwa The Paradoxical Commandments telah diambil dari booklet kepemimpinan yang ia tulis dan digunakan oleh jutaan orang di mana-mana termasuk dituliskan di tembok, dimasukkan dalam pidato dan artikel, atau sekedar dibagikan kepada teman.

Tanpa sepengetahuan Kent, tenyata The Paradoxical Commandments telah digunakan dalam berbagai cara oleh orang Kristen di berbagai belahan dunia. Dikhotbahkan dari mimbar-mimbar, diterbitkan dalam newsletter gereja, atau diposting di website gereja. Digunakan oleh Abel Muzowera, seorang bishop Methodist yang merupakan perdana mentri Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. Juga diterjemahkan dalam bahasa Jepang dan digunakan dalam homili-homili oleh seorang pastor Katholik Jepang di Tokyo. Muncul dalam majalah jemaat St. John di Wakefield, Inggris. Dimasukkan dalam sebuah manual tentang moralitas and etika untuk siswa yang diterbitkan oleh Konfrensi Bishop Katholik Canada, dan juga dimasukkan dalam sebuah kurikulum Study Alkitab untuk remaja dewasa yang diterbitkan oleh United Church of Christ. The Paradoxical Commandments juga diterbitkan dalam buku Dr. Robert H. Schuller ‘Turning Hurt into Halos’, buku Neil T. Anderson ‘Victory Over Darkness, dan buku John Hagee ‘The Seven Secrets.’

Saya kemudian baru sadar bahwa lagu yang saya dapatkan dari pak John Campbell-Nelson sebagai hadiah perkawinan saya mempunyai lyric yang persis seperti paradoxical commandments. Tentu saja dengan penambahan dan pengurangan, serta tekanan disana sini demi kepentingan notasi. Lagu itu dinyanyikan oleh duo The Roches, Suzzy dan Maggie Roche dalam album mereka ‘Zero Church’.

Ketika saya mencari lyricnya di internet tertulis di bagian akhirnya: Music by The Roches, Author unknown. Banyak orang ternyata tidak tahu dari mana asalnya tulisan ini. Mungkin karena tulisan ini telah digunakan sedemikian luasnya dan orang lupa siapa yang menuliskannya.

Bunyi lyric Anyway yang dinyanyikan The Roches adalah sbb:

People are often unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone
could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway

Tulisan ini kemudian punya dampak balik yang luar biasa bagi penulisnya sendiri. Pada bulan September 1997, Kent mengetahui bahwa The Paradoxical Commandments dimasukkan dalam sebuah buku yang dikompilasi oleh Lucinda Vardey yang berjudul ‘Mother Teresa: A Simple Path.’ The Paradoxical Commandments ditaruh di halaman terakhir sebelum appendix dan diberi judul “Anyway” dan diketik berbentuk seperti puisi. Vardey menambahkan sebuah catatan diakhir halaman yang berbunyi: “From a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children’s home in Calcutta.”

Kent menulis kesannya tentang penggunaan tulisannya oleh Ibu Theresa dalam pengantar bukunya “Jesus did it Anyway-The Paradoxical Commandments for Christians,” yang ia tulis kemudian di tahun 2005:

“I was deeply moved to learn that Mother Teresa thought that the Paradoxical Commandments were important enough to put up on the wall of her children’s home in India. That discovery was a turning point in my life. It seemed to me that God was sending me a message. I felt called to speak and write about the Paradoxical Commandments again after thirty years had passed.”

Membagikan The Paradoxical Commandments dan maknanya kemudian menjadi pelayanan sehari-hari Kent. Ia menerima undangan dari berbagai penjuru Amerika untuk mempresentasikan dan membawakan seminar tentang perintah-perintah itu. Ia juga menulis dua buah buku: “Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments” dan “Do it Anyway: The Handbook for Finding Personal Meaning and Deep Happiness in a Crazy World.”

Sebagai hasil pembicaraannya di mana-mana dan tulisan-tulisannya, ia menerima kabar dari orang-orang diberbagai belahan dunia yang menceritakan kepadanya bagimana artinya The Paradoxical Commandments bagi mereka.

Kent menulis dalam “Jesus did it Anyway”:

“I often hear from Christians who tell me how they use the Paradoxical Commandments in their churches, families and individual lives. I am pleased to hear from all of them, and I am grateful that the Paradoxical Commandments are useful to them as they live their faith each day.”

Banyak juga yang memintanya untuk memberikan cerita-cerita dan ayat-ayat Alkitab yang mengilustrasikan The Paradoxical Commandments. Mereka tahu bahwa perintah-perintah ini didasarkan pada kebenaran-kebenaran Kristen, tetapi ingin tahu bagaimana perintah-perintah ini berhubungan dengan iman Kristen dan bagaimana perintah-perintah ini berkaitan dengan Alkitab. Secara khusus Kent diminta untuk menjelasakan bagaimana perintah-perintah ini berkaitan dengan ajaran Yesus.

Buku “Jesus did it Anyway-The Paradoxical Commandments for Christians” ditulis sebagai jawaban terhadap pertanyaan-pertanyaan itu. Di dalamnya terdapat uraian yang lebih rinci dengan menggunakan ayat-ayat dan bagian Alkitab. Satu persatu kalimat The Paradoxical Commandments (seperti tertera dibawah ini) dibahas dalam buku ini:

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Apa yang dituliskan Kent dalam usia yang sangat muda, 19 tahun, ternyata punya dampak yang luar biasa bagi banyak orang. Mungkin karena ia menuliskannya dalam masa idealisme yang luar biasa, dalam kejujuran dan kepolosan yang luar biasa, dalam integritas diri yang luar biasa, dalam masa pencarian makna hidup yang awal dan murni.

Kadang kita juga begitu bukan? Coba lihatlah karya-karya kita di usia 17, 18, 19-25 tahun, anda akan terkesima dengan karya anda sendiri. Mungkin memang ada bagian-bagian yang terasa naïve dan sederhana, tetapi ada juga yang membuat kita berpikir: “kok bisa ya saya berpikir (atau berbuat) sejauh itu? Sekarang mungkin saya belum tentu mampu melakukannya.” Kalau anda pernah berkuliah di perguruan tinggi, coba ambil saja skripsi anda dan lihat kembali. Anda pasti akan mempunyai perasaan yang sama, jika memang skripsi itu anda kerjakan dengan jujur dan penuh idealism. Lain halnya kalau anda cuma ngopy skripsi orang lalu dirubah-rubah sedikit, seperti yang dilakukan kebanyakan mahasiswa kita.

Sekarang saya bertanya pada diri saya sendiri: mungkinkan semua ini hanya kebetulan? Mungkinkah pak John memberi hadiah kepada saya adalah sebuah kebetulan? Kebetulankah saya membeli buku di Kinokuniya? Apakah kebetulan Wilson menulis di blog-nya dan kebetulan saya melihatnya?

-->Johann von Schiller pernah menulis: “Tidak ada yang namanya kebetulan. Apa yang tampak oleh kita sebagai sekedar kebetulan sebenarnya muncul dari sumber takdir yang terdalam.” Karena saya yakin semua ini bukan kebetulan, saya berusaha menuliskan tulisan ini dan membagikannya kepada saudara.

Squire Rushnell menulis dalam bukunya: ‘When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life’ bahwa suatu kebetulan bukanlah sekedar kebetulan, namun memiliki arti yang lebih dalam.

Jangan-jangan Tuhan memang sedang main mata dengan saya, memberi tanda, isyarat atau mengungkapkan suatu pesan. Mungkin saya saja yang tidak mengerti isyarat itu.

Why is finding money to develop sports so difficult?

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 04/19/2010 11:30 AM | Special Report

Sports funding has always been a problem for many developing countries, but messy management of the relatively limited pool of money played a major role in the decline in the performance of Indonesian athletes within a few decades.

Indonesia, a participant in the Olympics since 1952, eventually won its first gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona games. The two gold medals from badminton saw the country end the event ranked 24. However, the country won only one gold medal in the games since then, which saw it finish lower: 41st in Atlanta, 38th in Sydney, 48th in Athens and 42 in Beijing.

Indonesian athletes have won a total of 25 Olympic medals with most of the medals coming from badminton, archery and weightlifting.

The country’s performance is also experiencing a decline in regional events.

Indonesia had dominated the South East Asian (SEA) Games for three decades since its first participation in 1977 by topping standings in the biennial event nine times and only lost out to Thailand in 1985 and 1995.

However, since 1999, the country has only managed to eke out a third place finish at best. It even lags behind the relative newcomers Vietnam.

“The problem with government funding is that stakeholders do not really understand how sports should be developed,” National Olympic Committee (KOI) secretary-general Arie Ariotedjo said.

“There is the impression that KONI [the National Sports Council] and KOI beg for government funding. Sport is not a proprietary business. Wherever the money goes, whether through KONI or directly handed to sports associations is irrelevant, as long as the money is used as intended.”

In order to host the 2011 SEA Games, for example, KOI and KONI had come up with a proposal for Rp 1.5 trillion (US$166 billion), but the government has so far agreed to only Rp. 350 billion. The ministry is now proposing a revision to increase the allocation to Rp. 1 trillion.

Ariotedjo said the National Development Planning Ministry and the Finance Ministry slashed the allocation because the Youth and Sports Ministry did not invite KOI and KONI to defend the proposal.

KOI program manager Gregory Wilson said the lack of government funding showed the poor commitment of the government to developing sports.

“Overall, it doesn’t seem like the government is serious about sports development in Indonesia,” Wilson told The Jakarta Post.

“I don’t think [they are serious] in terms of the proportion of GDP. It’s not a priority issue: you can compare the funding levels of neighbors such as Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, I think it’s relatively small,” he added.

Wilson said the Youth and Sports Ministry had always said that the country wanted to be in the top 20 of the 2016 Olympic Games after regaining supremacy in Southeast Asia, but that when it came to money, there was no support.

“There is a third world mentality associated with sports funding in this country. But it’s not a third world country, it’s a developing, proud country that needs to be the premier nation in Southeast Asia and even within Asia itself. But you can’t achieve that without sustained funding and programs and without some real commitment and leadership from the government.”

The government needs to be committed to continuous funding to assure better preparations, Wilson added.
“We finished the SEA Games last year and here we are in April when we just saw in the paper that we still can’t get the funds. The Asian Games [in November] are going to be over before we actually get any programs started. There is not enough development time.”

In addition to a relatively small amount of funds, a lack of priority means the limited money is not used efficiently, Wilson said.

“Last year [the government] sent people all over the world to do tryouts, which is a low priority. And now when we need funds for qualification and important international competitions such as the Youth Olympic Games, they say there’s no funds.”

Legislator Utut Adianto said he believed inconsistency in the financial models of support made sports development stagnant.

“We are half-hearted about models of funding we need to embrace. Ideally, sports should not be funded by the state, therefore becoming an Olympic champion like Michael Phelps is not the state’s business.

“But this country still needs glory so the sports funding is still in need of government backing,” Utut, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission X overseeing sports, youth affairs, tourism, culture and education, said.

He added that the country should choose to either fully support sports development or to leave it to other parties.

“If the government decides to fund sports, they have to work out how much is enough,” the chess Grandmaster said.

Utut said he believed that fund proposals are trimmed by the Finance Ministry and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) — as the two institutions are best placed to decide allocations the money the country has — and by parliament.

“There are many interests in the House and there is a struggle on whether to approve proposals or to trim them.”

Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) secretary-general Alamsyah Wijaya said the government gave too much emphasis on multi sporting events rather than single events. He said single events were the best catalysts to groom athletes with a minimum amount of funding.

Alamsyah agreed with the idea of a state-public partnership to fund sports, but said the current level of state funding for sports was enough.

“The classic problem of funding sports in Indonesia is that many people use institutions such as sport federations and sports committees at national or regional levels for personal gain,” he said.

“For example, from the current budget of Rp 1.1 trillion, the Youth and Sports Ministry sets aside
Rp 600 billion for sports development. If the Rp 600 billion is disbursed to 50 sports unions, each union would receive Rp 12 billion a year.

“For us, that is more than enough. If PABBSI was given that for five years, we would guarantee gold at the Olympics.”
For the former national weightlifter, individual sports should be prioritized rather than team sports because they were relatively cheaper to develop.

“Singapore has topped us several times in both the SEA and Asian Games and they have far fewer athletes than us.”

Sports suffers lack of funding and priority

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 04/19/2010 11:30 AM | Special Report

Indonesia is not famous by any stretch for international achievements in sports. Government officials have repeatedly pointed to the lack of funding as the main reason. But The Jakarta Post’s Matheos Viktor Messakh looks at the issue and finds that funding is not the sole reason, as sports represents a low priority for the government and there exists a lack of transparency as well as uncertainty in setting benchmarks for state funding for sports associations.

Even when he had to bring lifters to compete in international events, weightlifting official Alamsyah Wijaya had to dig deep in his own pocket to pay for airfare, travel documents, accommodation and pocket money.

Now in his ninth year as secretary-general of the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) — sports that have produced great athletes with notable international accolades for the country — he has come to believe that expecting the government to shell out money is a waste of time and energy.

“The government and KONI [the National Sports Council] only paid lip service when they said weightlifting was a priority. We won an Olympic medal in 2000 there has been no significant support since,” Alamsyah said.

Alamsyah’s frustration is shared by many. Annual state funding for sports has become a burning issue.

Although the amount of the state budget allocated to the Youth and Sports Ministry has significantly increased from Rp 300 billion (US$33.3 million) in 2004 to Rp 1.1 trillion this year, leaders of sports associations still complain of the lack of priority and transparency.

Alamsyah expressed frustration at government rhetoric that weightlifting was a priority sport in the country.

“The money we receive in a year is about Rp 3 billion, while the PSSI [soccer association], for example, receives Rp 48 billion. That’s what I mean by a lack of priority. Give me Rp 48 billion and I will guarantee gold at the London Olympics,” he said.

Alamsyah should mean what he said about medal prospects at the Olympics. Indonesian weightlifters have managed to perform well at very high levels in the past 10 years despite poor facilities and lack of government support.

Indonesian weightlifters bagged one silver and two bronze medals at the 2000 Sidney Olympics, one silver in Athens four years later, and two silver and four bronze in Beijing, a respectable feat surpassed only by the badminton contingent, the country’s long-held source of pride when it comes to international sporting achievements.

PABBSI is one of few associations with a clear vision of the long term development of the sport. For example, it has set its sights on the upcoming Youth Olympic Games and has since 2007 prepared its under-17 athletes.
The result of this preparation is that weightlifting became the first sport in the country to secure a place at the 2010 Youth Olympics Games in Singapore.

The squad further sealed their supremacy in international events when they dominated the Asian Junior Championships last December in Dubai with nine gold, four silver and six bronze medals.

“Before the Dubai event, we asked the ministry to provide us with Rp 109 million to support three athletes, one coach and one official. Three days prior departure, the ministry said they would give us Rp 75 million, but we only received the money a month after we got back.

“This is a big problem but obviously not the fault of anyone specifically. It’s a bureaucracy problem. Every time we go abroad we have to be ready to use our own money. ”

This week, PABBSI saw another female lifter secure a spot at the Youth Olympic Games after a qualification tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Ironically, the team managed to go and compete in Tashkent only after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave a $35,000 solidarity fund for the federation as a “reward” for its efforts to have it first athlete qualify for the Youth Games.

PABBSI recently proposed a budget of Rp 4.9 billion (US$532,608) to the government for the development of junior and youth weightlifters, but is still awaiting approval. Given the history, however, hopes are slim.

“We submitted a similar proposal following the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand. It was never approved,” PABBSI deputy Sjafriadi Tjut said.

Like weightlifting, badminton is also one of the sports fighting its own battle to win medals at international events, although badminton is bit luckier thanks in part to the participation of the private sector and a higher profile.

As the only sport in which Indonesia has won the gold at the Olympics, badminton has attracted quite a few sponsors, according to Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) secretary-general Yacob Rusdianto.
For more than 20 years, the PBSI has been sponsored by sporting apparel company Yonex.

This year the PBSI received Rp 20 billion, double the Rp 10 billion it received last year.

From the government, the PBSI, which trains 80 players at all levels and 18 coaches, receives different amounts for the preparation of group events such as SEA Games or Thomas Cup. It also receives less than Rp 100 million a year for administrative expenses.

Yacob said that as a source of national pride with a gold medal hopes at every Olympics, badminton still lacked special attention from the government, and was left to build partnerships with private companies.

To help meet international challenges facing badminton and to help deliver the sporting excellence expected by the public, additional funding will be used to enhance high performance coaching, identifying talent and to provide more sophisticated sports science and support services to elite athletes, he added.

“Our responsibility is very great. We still need financial support from the government. To obtain maximum results, we definitely need more funding,” Yacob said.

“In China and Korea, the government finances almost everything. Malaysia bought dozens of former world champions including Indra Gunawan and Rexy Mainaky form Indonesia. It is us they are looking to overtake and we should be aware of this.”

Despite the complaints, the secretary to the Youth and Sports Minister, Wafid Muharam, denied that the government gave less attention to sports funding and that sports development was not a priority.

“We really pay attention to the Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games. However, we cannot give sufficiently fund all sports, only the sports where our athletes show great achievements,” Muharam told the Post.

“It’s impossible for the government to fund every single sport. It is good if these associations can get sponsors. In the end, it depends on the inventiveness of the people in the associations.”

This year, the ministry received a budget allocation of Rp 1.5 trillion. Rp 1.1 trillion was allocated to sports, Rp 258.7 billions to youth affairs and Rp 179.4 billions to good governance programs.

Looking to overhaul the lack of funding, Wafid said that the ministry was lobbying the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry to encourage state firms to sponsor at least one sport.

“Learning from the fact that many sports association are not financially independent, we encourage State-Owned Enterprises to support athletes, coaches and referee development rather than just supporting sporting events,” he said.

Wafid also said that part of problem was the fund-raising ability of associations, including the ability to make proposals to the ministry. Recently, he said, the ministry rejected several unqualified proposals for SEA Games preparation funding.

“The people in the associations made small mistakes such as bank account numbers. We can’t provide them with money given such trivialities because these are state funds,” he said.

Alamsyah, however, said that mistakes were with the ministry and KONI.

“They claim people in the associations did not ask for money, but in fact there is no forum for that matter. There is no formal mechanism for associations to apply for funds.”

Lack of priority: Junior athletes are seen training at a not-so-fancy weightlifting facility in Bekasi, West Java. Weightlifting has produced great athletes with notable international accolades for Indonesia, but still suffers from lack of funding. JP/Berto Wedhatama

Indonesian men triumph, but women drop out in the semifinals

Matheos Viktor Messakh
The Jakarta Post/Batam

Indonesian men’s pair Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiyansah came back from one-set down to beat Reza Assari Naeni and Rahman Raoufi of Iran in the rain-affected final on Saturday to win the trophy at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Beach Volley Ball Tournament in Batam.
In the first set, Koko and Andy had little to offer and surrendered 14-21, but started to find form at the beginning of the second set to lead 9-5 before rain temporarily stopped the match. The Indonesian duo maintained the high tempo when the game resumed 10 minutes later and capped the set 21-8.
Using the momentum, Koko and Andy led in the third set from the start to complete a comeback and win the set 21-15.
“In the first set, we tried normal serves, but it seemed like they had no difficulty receiving. Then we decided to use jump serves and it held back their attacks, helping us gain crucial points. From that point on, we knew their defense was the weak spot,” Koko said after the match.
Andy said that they had faced the Iranian pair several times before, and that they had improved a lot.
“Iran has at least three good teams and this is one of them.”
Although Koko and Andy admitted that while the rain played a part in their win, it was their more aggressive strategy that helped seal victory.
“The rain interruption allowed us to regain our strength, but without the change in strategy, the rain would not have helped,” Andy said.
The pair picked up US$3,000 in prize money while the Iran duo bagged $2,250.
“Andy and Koko are good all-round. We tried our best with our spikes and serves, but most of the time they managed to answer,” Reza said.
He added that the rain was not unexpected and had little effect on the match. “In beach volleyball, we have to be prepared for rain. It’s different if you play indoors,” he said.
Koko and Andy advanced to the final after defeating Rafi Asruki Bin Nordin and Khoo Chong Long of Malaysia 21-18, 21-15 in the semifinals earlier in the day, while the Irans ousted New Zealand siblings Sam and Ben O’Dea 21-18, 21-18 in the other semifinal.
In the battle for third, the O’Deas defeated the Malaysians 21-15, 21-18.
In the women’s division, Indonesians Ayu Cahyaningsiam and Efa Sri Susilowati were stopped by Irina Tsimbalova and Mashakova Tatyana of Kazakhstan. The visitors needed only 40 minutes to book a place in the final with an emphatic 21-16, 21-16 beatdown.
Later in the day, Ayu and Efa also lost to Julalak Radarong and Meneerat Udomcahvee of Thailand in the match for third place.
“We are grateful that we reached the semifinals. The Thais are quite good because they focus on beach volleyball, while Efa and I play professionally in the Proliga [Indonesia’s indoor volleyball league],” Ayu told The Jakarta Post.
With their fourth-place finish, Ayu and Efa took home $1350.
In the women’s final, the Kazakhs stole victory from a Japanese duo.
“We are very happy. This is our first win in an international tournament. We started playing as a pair this year and have participated in four international tournaments and this is our best result,” 22-year-old Mashakova said.
They take home $3,000 in prize money.
Sam O’Dea and Tsimbalova were also chosen as the best players of the tournament.

Ayu, Efa cruise into semifinals in Batam

Matheos Viktor Messakh/The Jakarta Post/Batam

The Indonesian women’s team of Ayu Cahyaningsiam and Efa Sri Susilowati advanced to the semifinals of the Asia-Pacific Beach Volley Ball Tournament in Batam after defeating Elisa Dean and Sara Battaglene of Australia in three sets on Friday.

Indonesian top men’s pair, Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiyansah were also through after beating Casey Grice and Adam Blackburn of Australia on Friday evening 21-12, 22-20.

The Australians secured a rematch with Koko and Andy after previously defeating Pradeep John and Mohan of India 21-18, 21-18.

Ayu and Efa, who defeat New Zealanders Sonia Dunne and Chantal Tung 21-15, 21-11 earlier in the day, survived a late warm-up to defeat the Australians 19-21, 21-14, 15-12.

“They were just really good at bringing up everything, they always managed to scramble tough plays and put it back over when we weren’t ready,” Dean told The Jakarta Post after the match.

Efa said they advanced to the next round as they had nothing to lose, considering that they were relative unknowns.

“We played with no pressure at all and that made us very comfortable. We just need to be careful in the next round because we have never met any of these teams before, and we especially need to be careful against Kazakhstan and Japan,” Efa said.

“Yesterday they were struggling, but today they seemed to have found their form,” coach Slamet Mulyanto said.

Ayu and Efa play for Jakarta Popsivo Polwan in Proliga, Indonesia’s professional indoor volleyball league, but Popsivo missed the league playoffs and allowed the duo to play beach volleyball.

Ayu’s previous partner was Devota Rahawarin, while Efa played alongside Yokbeth Kappasiang. However, Devota and Yokbeth could not play in the tournament because their club, Jakarta BNI 46, qualified for the Proliga playoffs.

Another Indonesian duo, Riris Irawati and Fitri Wijayanti, were eliminated from the tournament, losing to Kazakhstan’s Pilipenko Marina and Samalikova Bakhtygul 21-10, 24-22.

Earlier on Friday, in the men’s division, Indonesians Agung Santoso and Nacy Subagya eased through their first game in the morning with a 21-19, 21-12 victory against Masakazu Ushio and Masakazu Hisasue of Japan, but later in the evening the duo lost to Sam O’Dea and Ben O’Dea of New Zealand.

The New Zealand duo, who are ranked fifth in the world among under-21s, advanced to the elimination round.

Another Indonesian pair, Jonathan Monim and Robertus Yanakaimu, were also dumped from the tournament. The Papuan duo was easily defeated 21-14, 21-14 by Kittipat Yungtin and Teerapat Pollueang of Thailand in 35 minutes.

RI women teams advance along with two men teams

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Batam Fri, 04/23/2010 11:47 AM

Indonesia will be represented by two pairings each in the women’s and men’s divisions at the second round of the Asia-Pacific Beach Volleyball Tournament in Batam following Thursday’s group stages.
Ayu Cahyaningsiam and Eri Sri Susilowati secured a spot in the second round after defeating Malaysia’s Kuck Sea Yeng and Woo Ching Ru on Thursday 21-6, 21-8 in 40 minutes to finish runner-up in the pool C.
Previously, the duo defeated Hong Kong’s Wong Wai Fong and Wong Yuen Mei 2-1 and lost to Thailand’s Julalak Radarong and Maneerat Udomchavee 1-2 in Wednesday’s matches.
The Thai duo is undefeated in three matches and topped pool C.
As runner-up, the Indonesian duo will meet the third-placed team from either pool A, B or D, while the Thais face a relatively easier road as they play the fourth-placed team from either pool A, B or D. The drawing of lots for the single elimination round is held on Thursday night.
The pair follows in the footsteps of Indonesia’s Riris Irawati and Fitri Wijayanti, who also booked a place in the next round, although they will face the top team from another group following two defeats in the group stage.
After being defeated by New Zealand’s Micah Brown and Hannah Croad on Wednesday, the young Indonesian duo suffered another defeat to Thailand’s Prateep Kambut and Aunchalee Yansuwan on Thursday.
“They did not play very well and I think we play at the same level but we lost because we had less passion,” 20-year-old Fitri told The Jakarta Post.
Riris and Fitri still have another match against Australia’s Eliza Dean and Sarah Bataglene in the evening that will decided whether they finish third or fourth in pool D.
In the men’s division, Indonesia’s Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiansyah will have a relatively easy draw because as the pool B winners, they will play the runner up from either pool A, C, D, E, F, G or H. The draw is also held on Thursday night.
Another Indonesian duo, Jonathan Monim and Robertus Yanakaimu, also secured a spot in the elimination round although they were defeated by Thailand’s Sittichai Sangkhacot and Prathip Sukto 6-21, 16-21 on Wednesday.
The Indonesian duo finished second in pool A because there are only two team in the pool. They will play the winner of either group A, C, D, E, F, G or H.
Agung Santoso and Naci Subagya will have to wait for Thursday evening’s game to see whether they advanced to the next round.

Koko, Andy spike their way into second round

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Batam Thu, 04/22/2010 11:34 AM

Indonesia number one beach volleyball pair Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiansyah put on a good show to outlast Adam Blackburn and Casey Grice of Australia in the first round of the Asia-Pacific Beach Volley Ball Tournament in Batam on Wednesday. The tandem, ranked 31st in the world, needed 43 minutes to stop the Australians with 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) and went directly through to the second knock-down round as there were only two teams in the pool.
Even with the local crowd cheering support, the Australians dominated the game from the start with one or two points ahead, and only gave the change to Koko and Andy to equalize at 11-11, 14-14, 16-16 and 18-18.
Later, two blocks by Andy gave a morale boost to the Indonesians before a spike form Koko closed the first game 21-19. A spike from Andy ended the second set contest at 20-18.
“They had a strong serve, so we needed some time to anticipate their play,” Koko told The Jakarta Post after the game.
“That’s why we were trailing in the first set. But when we learned that they were not as good in defense, we were able to control the game,” he said.
Andy/Koko won a gold medal in the 2007 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games before going on to win at the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali last year.
Earlier on Thursday, Indonesian juniors Jonathan Monim-Robertus Yanakaimu surrendered to Thailand’s Sittichai Sangkhachot-Pratip Sukto 21-6, 21-16.
In the women draw, Indonesia’s Ayu Cahyaning Siam-Eri Sri Susilowati survived a first-set loss to defeat Hong Kong’s Wong Fai Wong-Wong Yuen Mei with 19-21, 21-5, 15-8.
In a previous match, Indonesia’s Riris Irawati and Fitri Wijayanti were defeated by New Zealand’s Micah Lindsay Brown and Hannah Croad 2-0 (21-19,21-16).
“In each set, Riris and Fitri made a lot of mistakes they should have not made, especially in their spike. This should not have happened, they were supposed to be consistent,” Indonesian coach Slamet Mulyanto told the Post.
The New Zealanders were happy with the results.
“It’s really important to come first in your pool, because otherwise when you are through to the next round you’ll face a very hard team. But if you can win your pool, you have an easier team. Our goals is to be number one in our pool,” Brown told the Post after the game.
“We really wanted to win, and our serving and diving is better and stronger,” he said.
“I know they play quite well. They are lovely people, so it’s hard when you play people you like,” Brown said of Riris and Fitri.
The first day of the tournament featured 12 macthes in women divisions and 10 matches in men’s.

Batam Beach Volley Ball tourney sets new standards

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Nongsa, Batam Wed, 04/21/2010 12:07 PM

After a year of preparations, the first Batam Open Asia-Pacific Beach Volleyball Tournament finally will kick off on Wednesday, with some top beach volleyball players form 12 Asia-Pacific countries set to take part. Twenty-three men’s teams and 16 women’s teams from powerhouse countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Japan, India and Hong Kong have arrived to for the tournament, which has been endorsed by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).
“We have been preparing for this event for about a year and it has been quite a struggle to get this event off the ground. We first got approval from the National Sports Council [KONI] and later also got approval from the AVC and this very first event in Batam finally included in the Asian Circuit,” tournament chairman Djoko Pramono said.
The tournament, which runs from April 21-24, will be unique. Unlike other beach volleyball contests, this will be held on man-made courts purpose built on a cliff at the Turi Beach Resort in Nongsa, Batam, with a nice view to Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. The other unique aspect of this competition is that it will be played at night.
“I’m very impressed with the venue. I’ve been to a lot of events in the past 20 years and coming to this venue and seeing what has been done here is fantastic, … it has something different to other events,” AVC technical delegate Harrison Blair said.
“When Pak Djoko first mentioned to me about hosting the beach volleyball tournament here in Batam, the first thing I asked him was ‘what kind of beach do we need, because we don’t have a lot of beach space here ... and here we are playing beach volleyball on a cliff, overlooking the sea, overlooking the two countries Singapore, and [Malaysia]. That’s quite symbolic,” Asia Pacific Beach Volley Ball chairman Michael Wiluan said.
AVC Beach Volley Ball Council secretary Hercus Andrew was also impressed with the preparations.
“We had a planning meeting this year, and one of the main objectives was is to improve the quality of tournaments. I have to say my first impression is very strong, that this is a very big improvement on tournaments we’ve had in previous years,” Andrew said.
Boasted to be a “potential” tournament to help build a development plan in the lead up to the next Olympic Games, the event is expected to draw at least 1,000 locals during weekdays and up to 2,000 on the weekend.
The tournament, which provides a total of US$ 30,000 in prizes, will start with a group-stage play at the beginning, before moving into single elimination format, in which teams are divided based on rankings. From there it will move into a straight knock-out competition through to the final.
Indonesia will feature three men teams and three women’s team including champion couple Koko Darkuncoro-Andy Ardiyansah.
“The Indonesian men have been doing very well so far, and probably would be considered favorites for the semifinals. With a lot of support from locals, they would be strong candidates,” Andrew said.

Indonesian rugby looking for organic growth

Matheos Viktor Messakh
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The 15-year-old boy runs pass the try line, triumphantly throwing the ball to the ground. His joyed is fueled by the mistaken belief that he has just scored five points for his team. But this is rugby not American football.
Instead of cheering, spectators, supporters and officials laugh and the boy stands around wondering why the referee has judged his play a fault.
“He watches too much American football perhaps,” Denny, the chairman of the Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club (JBRC), told The Jakarta Post during the tournament last week.
Britmindo Schools Rugby Sevens is a competition hosted by Labschool Kebayoran Baru and JBRC, featuring five high schools in Jakarta that have been introduced to the sport. The two-day tournament was part of the club’s efforts to popularize rugby sevens.
Rugby is a new entrant in the Indonesian sports world. It only officially took form when the Indonesian Development Rugby (IDR), a rugby club, was established in May 2004 by expatriates and rugby fans.
In the same year the IDR morphed into the JBRC and pioneered national rugby. Club players are also regularly selected to represent the Indonesian National 15’s (the Rhinos) and the Indonesian National Sevens, (Harimau or Tiger).
In December 2005, the rugby enthusiasts who established the IDR set up the Indonesian Rugby Football Union (IRFU).
The IRFU board made rugby development in Jakarta and outlying provinces a priority. A huge step was taken when the board appointed David Nye a full-time rugby development officer in May 2007.
Nye was tasked with going to schools and universities with the aim to developing and aiding the grassroots growth of rugby.
He handed over the program to Sam Refshauge, who continues to hold regular training sessions at schools and universities in Jakarta throughout the year for all levels of players from juniors to first-15 competitive teams.
Later, the JBRC and the IRFU worked together to spread rugby to the wider community. They sent experienced players such as Iswahyudi and Stevie Prawita to get involved in coaching at schools and universities in Greater Jakarta.
Starting with five schools, rugby is now being taught in 15 high schools and university in Jakarta including Darunnajah Islamic school, SMAN 3 senior high school, SMA Lab School Kebayoran, Cita Buana high school, Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Sekolah Global Jaya, Trisakti, Tarumanegara University and Jakarta State University.
Schools such as SMA 3 high school and Darunnajah have gone a step further by including rugby in their sports curriculum.
In January 2009, the IRFU began hosting an annual Schools Rugby 7’s tournament that attracted 14 teams from 11 schools, an increase from the five team tournament in the first year.
The inclusion of rugby sevens by the International Olympic Committee on Oct. 9, 2009, into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has also helped popularize the sport.
Following the IOC’s move, the Indonesian Sevens national team was formed and actively participates in tournaments around Asia.
“We are looking ahead to larger events and we see the inclusion of rugby sevens in the Olympics as a good opportunity. We are campaigning to introduce it to more young people and hope that this becomes the breeding ground for national players,” Denny said.
The IRFU is also hoping that with the growth of the game in Indonesia, rugby sevens would also be included in the 2011 SEA Games, to be held in Indonesia.
Despite its brief existence on the international scene, Indonesian rugby is building a reputation in regional tournaments.
In only its second year participating in international rugby, the Rhinos won the Asian Division 6 Championships in Brunei Darussalam in 2007, improving on their runner-up finish the previous year.
In 2008 the Rhinos won the regional division (division 4) of the Asian 5 Nations, gaining promotion into division 3.
The team finished fourth at the Asian 5 Nations tournament in Manila in 2009 and will host the 2010 tournament in June.
Although the national team has gained international recognition, the IRFU has a lot of work to do at home. It is not formally acknowledged by the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) despite gaining full membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union in December 2005.
“Since we have fulfilled all the basic requirements such as have at least 10 provincial rugby unions and have been holding international tournaments, the KOI will hopefully formally recognize us during its meeting on April 27,” IRFU deputy chairman Tito Vau said.
Tito said the IRFU had set a goal of selecting a national under-20 team to represent Indonesia in 2011 by this year.
IRFU claimed that rugby was now played regularly in 12 provinces in Indonesia by hundreds players numbering and a growing number of supporters.
“Six years ago there were less than 100 rugby players in Indonesia and more than 70 percent of them were expatriates. The IRFU now identifies more than 600 players, of whom 70 percent are Indonesian,” Tito said.
The same optimism was also expressed by national team flanker Daniel Rahadian Nugroho.
“Five years ago, it was difficult to tell people that rugby is a very fun game, but now it seems that people are starting to view the game differently,” he said.
Daniel, who joined the national team in May 2005, has participated in dozens of international tournaments and has won several titles, including recognition from the IRB in 2006 as the youngest player to play in an IRB test match.

Photo credit: Indonesian Rugby Football Union (IRFU)

Australian "Ned Kelly" painting sells for record

Pauline Askin
SYDNEY, March 31 (Reuters) - Australia's most expensive painting, a Sidney Nolan "Ned Kelly" work, was given away on Wednesday only days after setting the nation's art record.

Caption: This photo released by auction house Menzies Art Brand shows a reproduction of Sidney Nolan's 'First Class Marksman', a painting of the famed Australian bank robber and bushranger Ned Kelly which has sold for 5.4 million Australian dollars ($4.9 mln) on March 25, smashing the previous record for an Australian artwork sold at auction in Sydney.(AFP/HO/File/Menzies Art Brand)

The painting, titled "First-Class Marksman", of Australia's iconic outlaw sold at auction last Thursday for A$5.4 million (US$4.96 million).

Less than a week later the previously anonymous buyer, the Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation, stepped forward and donated the painting to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
"They've bought this really signature Nolan work for us, which we are absolutely thrilled about and it was A$5.4 million and it looks fantastic on our wall," said Clare Martin, the gallery's media manager.
Dubbed the missing Nolan, art market experts say the painting reached a staggering price because it was the only work in the Ned Kelly series that remained in private hands. The other 26 are at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra.
Sidney Nolan is considered Australia's most internationally acclaimed artist. Nolan died in 1992.
"First Class Marksman" depicts Kelly wearing a square metal helmet over his head, which he used as armour to protect himself from police, and pointing a rifle into the Australian bush.
"I think this sale certainly puts us on the world stage and indeed a record for Australian art," Litsa Veldekis, chief executive officer of Menzies Auctions in Sydney, told Reuters.
The previous record for a Sidney Nolan piece, titled "Death of Constable Scanlon", sold for A$1.3 million in 2000. The highest price for an Australian painting prior to Thursday's auction was in 2007, when Brett Whiteley's "The Olgas for Ernest Giles", sold for A$3.4 million.
The Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation was set up by surrealist painter James Gleeson, who died in 2008, and his longtime partner Frank O'Keefe to acquire and give to the Art Gallery of New South Wales works of lasting importance.
(Reporting by Pauline Askin; Editing by Alex Richardson)
GetRTR 3.00 -- MAR 31, 2010 14:13:05

Wanted: Investors to turn Saddam's villas into gold By Sabah al-Bazi

TIKRIT, Iraq, March 31 (Reuters Life!) - Saddam Hussein made his palaces a desert paradise, but now his hometown is seeking foreign investors to turn the late dictator's playground into a tourist mecca.

Local officials see the 76 abandoned Saddam villas sprawled across hundreds of hectares (acres) as a potential gold mine for Tikrit's cash-strapped Salahuddin province.

"These villas only need rehabilitation and a few other things to turn the whole area into a wonderful tourism site," Jewher Hamad al-Fahel, the head of Salahuddin's investment commission, told Reuters Television.

Saddam built big at Tikrit, his tribal stronghold about 150 km north of Baghdad. He put up six villas at his birthplace, the village of al-Awja, alone and made the Tikrit palace complex his largest.

Boasting artificial lakes and date orchards, the site totals 136 buildings and covers more than 400 hectares, according to the US Army. American troops used it as a base until turning it over to Iraqi authorities in November 2005.

Now many of the sand-colored structures, often domed and turreted and with marbled interiors, sit decaying near the Tigris River. Some still show heavy damage from the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that overthrew Saddam.

SMOOTHING THE WAY

Salahuddin Governor Mutasher Hussein Allawi said he was eager to smooth the way for foreign investment in the villas since his budget was too small to rebuild decrepit infrastructure quickly.

"Iraq needs huge investment companies, because the devastation that took place after 2003 is something terrible", he said.

Foreign tourists to Iraq are overwhelmingly Muslim pilgrims visiting holy sites, with a handful of visitors drawn to ancient ruins.

The number of religious visitors hit 1.25 million last year, more than doubling since 2007 as violence has eased, according to a Tourism and Antiquities Ministry spokesman.

Iraqis seeking an in-country getaway tend to go to mountain areas in the north.

Tikrit's would not be the first Saddam mansion to be turned into a resort. A guesthouse at a hulking palace at Babylon, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, has become a popular spot for honeymooners.

Central and southern Iraq hold about 160 Saddam mansions, 60 in Baghdad alone. Those in the mainly Kurdish north have yet to be tallied.

On a bustling Tikrit street, resident Abdulla Mohammed said he welcomed foreign investment.

"Salahuddin's security situation is good compared with other provinces, we are upbeat about the future," he said.

Salahuddin province's stance underscores Iraq's eagerness for outside investment. Deputy Industry Minister Adel Karim told Reuters Iraq could offer production-sharing deals with state companies to draw foreign investors.

(Additional reporting by Aseel Kami, writing by Ian Simpson, editing by Paul Casciato)

GetRTR 3.00 -- MAR 31, 2010 16:13:14

Man rams car into parked plane in Nigeria

Ani Akpan
CALABAR, Nigeria, April 1 (Reuters) - A man who claimed to have been sent by Jesus to punish sinners rammed his car into a parked plane at an airport in southeastern Nigeria , an aviation spokesman said on Thursday.
No one was hurt in the incident on Wednesday and the spokesman said Nigeria had no problem with security.
The United States put Nigeria on a list of countries needing to improve security after Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was arrested on suspicion of trying to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner in December using explosives hidden in his underwear.
"There is no problem at all at our airports, no cause for alarm, as we have the necessary security on the ground," said Akin Olukunle, spokesman for the Federal Airport Authority.
He said the driver had broken through two security gates at Calabar international airport and rammed his car into the Arik Air plane before soldiers arrested him.
The suspect was heard yelling that all Nigerians were sinners and must repent or perish, a reporter who was at the airport said. The man, who is from Nigeria's southeastern state of Akwa Ibom, said he had been sent by Jesus Christ.
Authorities were questioning him in Calabar.
The crew of the plane, which had arrived from Lagos and was on its way to the capital Abuja, were not injured and no passengers were on board at the time.
"Our men rushed to the scene and evacuated crew members on board," Olukunle said. "We have beefed up security."
A bomb squad found no explosives in the car and flights continued despite the incident.
(Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Angus MacSwan)
APR 1, 2010 17:24:50