With the 25th Southeast Asian Games less than 12 months away, the Indonesian Olympic Committee is starting its recruiting drive for the national training camp.

Several national sports federations have sent athletes to the camp to begin training for the regional games in Laos.

The Indonesian Karate-Do Federation, of Forki, has 36 karateka at the camp, with another 26 in the government’s High-Performance Program for athletes.

The Indonesian government set up the High-Performance Program with the goal of becoming the overall champion at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, which Indonesia will host.

Of the 62 karateka in the two programs, the federation will select the top six men and four women to compete in Laos. Countries are limited in the number of athletes they can send after Laos requested athlete quotas.

The Indonesian Taekwondo Association, or PBTI, has selected 22 athletes to join the national camp, not including the seven already in the High-Performance Program, said Lamting, the PBTI head of athlete development. The association will pick six men and five women to send to Laos.

Pencat silat has a sizeable contingent at the camp, with 34 athletes taking part and another 11 in the High-Performance Program.

The Indonesian Pencak Silat Association will send six men and five women to the Southeast Asian Games. Indonesia won 11 of its 56 gold medals at the 2007 SEA Games in martial arts events.

Jakarta Globe

With the 25th Southeast Asian Games less than 12 months away, the Indonesian Olympic Committee is starting its recruiting drive for the national training camp.