With the National Sports Council (KONI) allowing sports associations to send extra athletes at their own expense, the Indonesian contingent for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games has swelled from 250 to 341 athletes.
Sixteen sports associations have decided to send more than their quotas set by KONI, and 91 extra athletes are now preparing to join the squad bound for Laos.
The additional athletes come from wushu (9), wrestling (8), taekwondo (6), table tennis (2), shooting (10), sepak takraw (2), karate (5), judo (2), golf (6), fin swimming (7), cycling (5), boxing (5), billiards and snooker (2), water polo (10), track and field (12) and archery (2).
"Most of the additional athletes are junior athletes," KONI chairwoman Rita Subowo said Wednesday.
The young athletes are going to the SEA Games, running from Dec. 9 to 18, with a view mainly to building competition experience for their medal chase in Jakarta in two years' time.
"We want to give them the opportunity *in Laos*, as they can potentially win medals at the next SEA Games in 2011 that will be hosted here, as well as at the 2010 Asian Games *in Guangzhou, China* and the 2012 Olympic Games *in London*," Rita said.
Accompanied by chief of mission Alex Noerdin, Rita met with some of the athletes at the KONI office.
On the occasion, Alex, who is also the South Sumatra governor, promised his administration would give bonuses to SEA Games medalists, in addition to those promised by KONI.
Although the extra members are not burdened with a medal target, Rita was still hopeful their inclusion would make a difference in the medal collection.
"After the submission of the entry-by-name list is completed on Oct. 26, we hope we can sharpen our medal projections because we will be more aware about the other delegations' *strengths*," she said.
The contingent was to have been inaugurated Wednesday, but the ceremony was delayed to Monday, pending a change of sports minister.
Rita cautioned about moves by Thailand and Vietnam to arrange the competitions, which she said could work in favor of the two, with both having offered their help in preparing the Laos Games.
"We have to unite to be able to handle any tactics by the host country, as we have learned that Vietnam and Thailand have contributed significant resources to Laos in holding this event," Rita said.
She said that the organizers were reported to have changed the format of the weightlifting competition, which would prompt the elimination of the events in which Indonesia should have good prospects to win gold medals.
Indonesia has been desperate to regain supremacy in the biennial multi-event sporting showcase it first participated in 1977.
The red-and-white contingents used to dominate the event before 1999 in Brunei Darussalam where they were relegated to outside the top two places in the medal tally for the first time.
