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Sorry, says Indonesia's CDM
Final four: Indonesiaâs mixed doubles badminton players Jordan Praveen (left)and Debby Susanto defeat Thailandâs Sudket Prapakamol and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-13, 8-21, 21-14 in the SEA Games on Monday
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Final four: Indonesiaâs mixed doubles badminton players Jordan Praveen (left)and Debby Susanto defeat Thailandâs Sudket Prapakamol and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-13, 8-21, 21-14 in the SEA Games on Monday. In the final, Jordan and Debby will clash with Malaysiaâs Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira) (left)and Debby Susanto defeat Thailandâs Sudket Prapakamol and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-13, 8-21, 21-14 in the SEA Games on Monday. In the final, Jordan and Debby will clash with Malaysiaâs Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
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span class="inline inline-center">Final four: Indonesia's mixed doubles badminton players Jordan Praveen (left)and Debby Susanto defeat Thailand's Sudket Prapakamol and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-13, 8-21, 21-14 in the SEA Games on Monday. In the final, Jordan and Debby will clash with Malaysia's Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Indonesia's sporting destiny is sealed, slumping to a mediocre fifth position among 11 participating countries at the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to conclude on Tuesday.
After a two-week competition the biennial multi-sport event will come to a close on Tuesday, when basketball, water polo and volleyball will be the last three of 40 sports to wrap up the competition.
Indonesia, which amassed 45 golds, will still be gunning for gold in water polo and badminton, but victories will not be enough to challenge Malaysia's gold collection of 60.
Indonesia's gold collection is far below what it accomplished at the last SEA Games, when athletes took 65 golds and finished in fourth place overall behind Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.
It is also far below the government's expectation of some 80 gold medals and the plan to finish as runner-up.
Chef de Mission (CDM) Taufik Hidayat seemed well aware of the gap between expectations and reality at the competition and he did not hesitate to extend an apology to the nation.
'There are still some competitions tomorrow but this is the reality. So first of all, I and all the members from the team headquarters, KOI [Indonesian Olympics Committee], Satlak Prima [task force] and the Youth and Sports Ministry, want to say sorry from the bottoms of our hearts to the Indonesian people for this result,' he told reporters on Monday.
He said he appreciated the athletes' struggles, which produced 58 silvers and 74 bronzes in addition to the 45 golds.
'I believe, as I was also an athlete, that all the athletes have done their best during the competition. So whatever the result is, good or bad, I am the one who bears the responsibility to report the result to the people, KOI and the sports ministry,' said the country's former badminton star, who won Olympic gold in Athens 2004.
Johansyah Lubis from Satlak Prima said that it had predicted that the country would get 45 golds. Specifically mentioning Indonesia's pitfall in the swimming arena, where the hosts with their star Joseph Schooling dominated by winning 23 of 38 golds on offer, Johansyah complemented the opponents' powerful performance and deplored Indonesia's build-up to the event.
'He is remarkable. Singapore's investment in one of its athletes, who was sent to train abroad, bore fruit here in this event,' he said.
He said the Satlak Prima would kick off a long-term training program for its athletes, with a view to enhancing their performance in the next two years.
'The program will go on after the SEA games. All the athletes who will compete in the multisport event will only have a short break before going back to the national training camp to prepare for the next Games,' he said.
Indonesia's poor showing was coupled by the nation's debacle in the soccer competition in which the U-23 team lost 5-0 against Vietnam in the bronze medal match. Thailand, as expected, won the gold with a 3-0 win over Myanmar in the final.
'I'm fully responsible for this result. If we compare the Indonesian team's preparation with other countries that underwent at least six months of training for the SEA Games, being in the semifinals is really not that bad,' Indonesian coach Aji Santoso said.
He added that 20 days of training prior to the event was not enough.
Indonesia's run for gold on Monday turned silver as the squash and basketball teams lost in the finals.
On Tuesday, Indonesia is already assured of a gold after its two doubles pairs defeated their respective opponents in the semifinals to set up an all-Indonesian final. Hopes for gold are also alive in the mixed doubles and women's singles.
In water polo, the Indonesian men's team will challenge Singapore in the final.
Thailand will end the SEA Games again at the top of the medal tally, now at 93 golds, followed by Singapore with 83 golds and Vietnam with 73 golds, while Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste have yet to win a gold.
