President Jokowi Sends Off Indonesian Contingent for 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia
President Jokowi, accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo, sends off the Indonesian contingent to compete in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (05/02). (Photo by: PR/Rahmat)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Tuesday (05/02), officially sent off the Indonesian contingent to compete in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
“I would only say that at the SEA Games in Vietnam, we won 69 gold medals and ranked 3rd. Now, we should do better than that. I would like the number of gold medals to be over 69, and the ranking to be higher than 3rd. There are only two choices, the 1st or 2nd place,” the President said.
Despite not being an easy challenge, the President expressed confidence that Indonesian athletes who will compete in this multi-sport event have been trained to excel in the competition.
“This is not an easy target, not an easy target, but I can see that all athletes who are present here and who have departed certainly have sufficient preparation for the competition, to compete in Cambodia,” he said.
Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo in his report said that the Indonesian contingent will compete in 31 out of 36 sports. There are 599 athletes who will participate in the SEA Games. Assisted by 230 coaches and officials, the athletes are also supported by a headquarter team and sports personnel consisting of doctors, paramedics, masseurs, and a recovery team of 55 people.
“At present, competition has started early in several sports such as soccer, cricket, and indoor hockey. Hopefully, it can spur the spirit of all branches of sports and our Indonesian contingent,” Dito said.
Furthermore, the Minister of Youth and Sports said that the composition of the Indonesian contingent for this year’s SEA Games consists of 70 percent junior athletes, who are mostly students. According to the Minister, this composition aims to provide opportunities for young Indonesian athletes to foster patriotism and nationalism through international events.
“[This] is so that they can excel in the future and increase productivity and competitiveness in implementing the vision of human resource development,” he stated. (TGH/UN) (FI/MMB)
