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Indonesia strives for high achievements in Asian and Para Games 2018
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oordinating Human Development and Cultural Affairs Minister Puan Maharani is upbeat that Indonesian athletes can strike gold at the upcoming Asian and Asian Para Games 2018 because of improved athlete management.
The minister released her statement on Oct. 2 after leading a ministerial delegation to evaluate the management of local athletes at the SEA Games 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as discussing preparations and management systems for the upcoming Asian and Asian Para Games 2018.
Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrowi, National Olympics Committee head Erick Thohir and several government officials joined Puan at the meeting.
Looking back to the SEA Games 2017, Indonesian athletes failed to reach its target of 55 gold medals, coming home instead with 38 gold medals, finishing fifth overall.
The government is now focusing on improving athlete management ahead of the upcoming Asian Games 2018 to improve its medal tally.
“Indonesia’s inability to attain the target at the SEA Games 2017 gave the government a huge workload. This is an ideal time for the government to learn [from its mistakes] so that we can help our athletes to be more successful in the upcoming Asian Games 2018, which will be held within less than a year,” said Puan.
She added that some mismanagement issues that the government identified at the SEA Games 2017 include a short training period for athletes, lack of a budget, inadequate athlete supervision and a lack of synergy among stakeholders.
Based on the evaluation, the officials, who attended the coordination meeting, have come up with several recommendations to make the upcoming tournament a success.
The recommendations are: setting up a national sports institutional coordination system; setting up a roadmap for athlete regeneration; creating a national sports training hub in Palembang, South Sumatra, because the city has modern sports facilities; revitalizing university-based sports research and development centers as well as strengthening athletic competitiveness among youths.
On budgeting matters, the minister asked that the Finance Ministry immediately issue a recommendation on budgetary schemes that can be used to accelerate this program ahead of the upcoming Asian and Asian Para Games 2018.
She also asked that all stakeholders involved in national sports evaluate their management systems comprehensively to better prepare for the upcoming Asian and Asian Para Games 2018.
Puan said she hoped that all stakeholders would ensure that matters related to athlete management, including the procurement of facilities, would be meticulously prepared and that they are implemented in an efficient and timely fashion.
“I hope all relevant stakeholders will follow up on the recommendations issued at today’s coordination meeting to ensure better organization for the upcoming Asian Games 2018,” she added.
