Instead of focusing on their final strategy for the biennial competition, Indonesia’s archers must deal with a lack of equipment, with most relying on their own bows and arrows for practice, which started in April.
n a month’s time, Team Indonesia will head to the Philippines to compete in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, yet two of its most promising sports — archery and athletics — are facing challenges in last-minute preparations.
Instead of focusing on their final strategy for the biennial competition, Indonesia’s archers must deal with a lack of equipment, with most relying on their own bows and arrows for practice, which started in April.
The problem was revealed during newly inaugurated Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali’s visit to several national training camps at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sporting complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Friday.
Archery team manager Taufan Tri Anggoro said the team had received Rp 600 million (US$42,751) to fund the training program, which includes gear for coaches, from its initial Rp 1.6 billion proposal for the 2019 SEA Games, which will run from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.
“Right now, we have already assisted our athletes with the provision of arrows. We can only support them with three dozen arrows per athlete, while ideally, each needs five dozen,” he said.
The team has 16 athletes who are divided into the compound and recurve categories.
Indonesian archery, led by favorite Riau Ega Agatha, is targeted to win four gold medals, a supposed repeat of the team’s accomplishment in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
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