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The disabled help Indonesia save face in sports
Despite living with disabilities, the Para Games athletes have restored the national pride. It is time for the government to pay back.
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A swimming athlete warms up prior to diving into the pristine pool at the NPC training center. (JP/Maksum Nur Fauzan)
T
he power of the mind — those are the words that best describe where our disabled athletes found the strength to get that far and emerge as the overall champions in the recent ASEAN Para Games 2017 in Kuala Lumpur.
They had to put up with the same government neglect that their compatriots cried foul over in response to their poor showing at the Southeast Asian Games, held prior to the Para Games. But the Para Games team showed its mettle. Its members collected 126 gold, 75 silver and 50 bronze medals to finish first at the Games, ahead of host country Malaysia, which came a distant second, and defending champion Thailand.
Track and field Para Games athletes Timin and Riyadi Saputra told Kompas before the competition began that they had endured months without receiving the monthly salary of Rp 7.52 million (US$562) they were entitled to. Middle-distance runner Timin and sprinter Martin Losu said they even had to buy their own running shoes to don the national colors at the Games.
Fadilah Umar, the cerebral palsy soccer team coach, said his squad members had bought their boots and shirts themselves after the government had failed to make good on its promise to equip them with the new outfits.
Given the lack of government support National Paralympics Committee chief Senny Marbun said he had not even expected the national team to meet the target of finishing second to equal its achievement in the 2015 Games in Singapore. He deemed the preparation for the Kuala Lumpur Games the worst ever, partly because the team had not seen enough moraleboosting gestures from the state.
Track and field and aquatic sports were the gold mines for Indonesia. The national track and field team led the medals hunt with 40 gold medals, beating its own target of 35. In the swimming pool Indonesia splashed its way to 39 gold medals to surpass the target of 30.
The country’s athletes with disabilities surpassed expectations in almost every field, making Indonesia Raya the most-played national anthem and the Red-and-White the most prominent national flag during the six-day event.
