TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

SEA Games: Indonesia hopes it can retain title in Myanmar

Indonesia has begun to work out its medal prospects at the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as the Red and White team tries to retain the championship title it won at home two year’s back

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Wed, December 19, 2012

Share This Article

Change Size

SEA Games: Indonesia hopes it can retain title in Myanmar

I

ndonesia has begun to work out its medal prospects at the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as the Red and White team tries to retain the championship title it won at home two year’s back.

“The number of medals on offer in Myanmar is estimated at 384 in 32 sports. To become champion we need to win 25-34 percent or between 96 and 122 gold medals,” Djoko Pekik Irianto, deputy chief of development affairs with the Youth and Sports Ministry, told Antara in Jakarta on Tuesday .

He said the medal projection was important in drawing up plans for the mission to the biennial event, a multi-sport showcase among the Southeast Asian nations.

He said Indonesia should have a good chance of repeating the 2011 achievement when the country emerged with the most medals for the first time since 1997.

Indonesia had been the dominant force along with Thailand until 1999 in Brunei where it ended up falling out of the top two positions for the first time since its first participation in 1979.

Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia have since managed to make their way up to the top of the medal tally, particularly when each became the host.

Djoko said Indonesia would by no means underestimate other participants’ strength.

Several sports associations have began their training camps, especially for the athletes who will join the Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG) in Pekanbaru, Riau province, in September.

The training, according to Djoko, is held with a view to gauging Indonesia’s medal prospect at Asian Games and Olympics.

“For sure, we have been analyzing which sports give best gold medal prospects,” he said.

Indonesia dominated the 2011 Games hosted in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra, with a medal haul of 182 gold, 151 silver and 145 bronze.

Weightlifting, wushu, archery, taekwondo, boxing, cycling, karate, badminton and athletics are expected to remain the gold mines for Indonesia next year.

“We prioritize individual events but we are not ruling out our chances in team events like volleyball. For soccer, let’s see what happens,” he said.

Soccer has been a drought of medal since Indonesia last won gold in Manila in 1991.

The prospect is expected to remain bleak now that national soccer federation is embroiled in a dispute that has resulted in the formation of rival leagues and a breakaway association.

The 27th SEA Games in Myanmar will feature 32 sports.

The organizers are reportedly planning for 11-12-13 opening ceremony, which refers to Dec. 11, 2013, with participants including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Timor Leste, Indonesia and Myanmar.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.