President Jokowi Receives Kevin/Gideon at Merdeka Palace
President Jokowi, accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports, takes picture with Kevin Sanjaya / Marcus Gideon at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (2/4). (Photo by: Rahmat/Public Relations Division of Cabinet Secretariat).
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports Imam Nahrawi, received the All England 2018 Men’s Doubles champion Kevin Sanjaya/Marcus Gideon at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (2/4).
According to Nahrawi, the President and Kevin/Gideon were engaged in a casual conversation, during which the President asked several questions to the duo about the training process at the National Training Center and about the countries that will become potential competitors at the Asian Games 2018. The Minister also said that on the occasion Marcus delivered his wedding invitation to President Jokowi.
Minister Nahrawi further said that President Jokowi appreciates the private sector‘s support for the development of badminton in Indonesia. The President also expects the private sector and state owned enterprises (SOEs) to support the development of other sports by providing sponsorships, coaching, and sport facilities.
Furthermore, the Minister also stressed that the Government does need support from the private sector to develop sports in Indonesia. According to him, SOEs and private sector, apart from being non-regular sponsorship, have not provided enough support in developing sports infrastructure. Nahrawi also hopes that the private sector can provide large and decent sports infrastructure, especially for less popular sports, so that all Indonesian athletes can achieve the achievements that Badminton athletes have achieved.
For the record, Kevin/Gideon last month defended their All England Men’s Double title after beating Danish pair Mathias Boe / Carsten Mogensen 21-18 and 21-17 at the Final. The duo has also won several other BWF Superseries titles, including China Open, Denmark Open, Japan Open and Korea Open. Kevin/Gideon also targets to win a gold medal the 2018 Asian Games set to be held from 18 August to 2 September in Jakarta and Palembang. (MRA/RAH/ES) (RI/EP/Naster)
