T

he U-23 national soccer team coach for the 26th South East Asian (SEA) Games has vowed that his team will strengthen Indonesia’s unity by performing commendably at the Games.

Rahmad Darmawan said that his team were on a special mission to make the country whole again.

“In the midst of internal conflict, where our national soccer has been torn apart, we have a mission: Bring peace and unity.

“Hopefully by performing well, we can bring back the unity,” Rahmad said during the “Ayo! Indonesia Bisa” (Let’s go! Indonesia Can Do It) event organized by Clear of Unilever, the Games’ official sponsor, on Monday.

“Therefore, we need to build a positive image in order to help build the athletes’ sense of nationalism at the SEA Games. We have to support them,” he added.

The coach said that his players had been training in the national camp for three months.

“Tomorrow [Tuesday], we will have a friendly against Timor Leste,” said Rahmad, who previously led his youth squad to a 1-1 draw against the national team.

In the Games, Indonesia was drawn in Group A along with de-fending champion Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia. Group B, considered to be far easier, comprises Timor Leste, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines.

“If we are ready, nothing is difficult ... This is not about easy or hard … it is about taking a stance and dealing with it,” Rahmad said.

U-23 captain Yongki Aribowo said that the players had continued to improve their interplay. “We need to work on our communication skills in order to improve.”

The 21-year-old striker said he hoped that Indonesians would do their utmost to support the team and all of the national athletes at the Games.

“Supporters are important.
When we get exhausted, their cheering is like a second wind; it can boost our morale significantly,” Yongki said.

Agreeing with Yongki’s statement, Indonesian swimmer Nicko Biondi said that all Indonesian athletes would need support at the Games.

“I really hope support from Indonesian spectators will hurt our opponents’ morale,” said Nicko, who will be participating in his second SEA Games.

In terms of overall preparation, diving and swimming teams are set to test the newly built pool at Jakabaring Sports Center in Palembang on Friday and Nov. 5, respectively.

“We began the national training camp last November … Now, we have entered final preparations, which will have the athletes peak in time for the Games,” said coach Albert C. Sutanto, adding that Indonesia aimed to win six gold medals in the men’s swimming.

Separately, the SEA Games torch, carried by former badminton player Finarsih, reached Yogyakarta on Monday.

The torch’s flame was taken from Mrapen in Grobogan, Central Java, on Sunday before spending the night at Borobodur Temple.

The torch relay is scheduled to continue from Semarang to Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Tuesday.

Indonesian SEA Games Organizing Committee (INASOC) director Rachmat Gobel said that the torch would be paraded though eight provinces in Indonesia.

The torch will visit Yogyakarta, Semarang in Central Java, Komodo Island and Kupang in NTT, Papua, Makassar in South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, Jakarta and Palembang in South Sumatra.

Slamet Susanto contributed to the story from Yogyakarta