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Quality over quantity: Indonesia eyes Olympics after SEA Games success
The country sent 499 athletes to the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games this year, down from the 841 in 2019, and saw more overall success.
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Indonesian rowers Memo (left) and Sulfianto (right) pose on the podium after winning a gold medal in lightweight men’s doubles sculls at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hai Phong, Vietnam, on May 11. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
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ndonesia finished third by total medal count at the recent 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, returning to the regional top three and building momentum for the country’s 2024 Olympic aspirations.
The nation sent 499 athletes to the SEA Games this year, down from 841 in 2019, and saw more overall success. The final result met a target set by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that Indonesia finish in the top three.
The red and white squad won 69 gold medals, 91 silver and 81 bronze, bringing home a total of 241 medals. Shooting and rowing – both Olympic sports – were areas of particular strength, with the country taking home 8 golds in each. The Indonesian canoeing team bagged the most medals overall, with a total of 17 – 6 gold, 8 silver and 3 bronze.
In collecting the medals, the country, which had fallen to the top five for the past four Games, reached several new milestones.
For the first time in its SEA Games history, the Indonesian basketball team managed to stop the Philippines’ supremacy, defeating them 85-81 in the final. The Gilas Pilipinas team has collected 18 SEA Games golds in the 21 events since 1977.
In swimming, teenagers Masniari Wolf and Flairene Candrea won gold in the women’s 50-meter backstroke and 100 m backstroke, respectively. It was the first time in 11 years that Indonesian female swimmers had won gold.
Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali said a state program called the National Sports Grand Design (DBON) had helped the national team screen athletes for international events. The ministry had worked with sports federations, the Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) and the Indonesian National Olympic Committee (NOC) to select and train athletes for the program.
