Hoping for Maximum Performance

The 2018 Asian Games will be the proving ground for national sports organizations to show great performances.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

A delegation from the Youth and Sports Ministry, led by Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi (third right, in black suit) are photographed during their visit on Tuesday (23/1) to the Kompas editorial offices in Jakarta. Kompas executives, including chief editor Budiman Tanuredjo, acting editor Mohammad Bakir and acting deputy editor Rusdi Amral, received the group, which spoke on several topics related to national sports performances, such as preparations for hosting the 2018 Asian Games.

The 2018 Asian Games will be the proving ground for national sports organizations to show whether or not a minimal budget can still produce great performances.

To prepare for the Games, which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, the government has set aside at least Rp 515 billion (US$38.63 million), or 70 percent of the total Rp 735 billion budget, for the national training camps (pelatnas). The Youth and Sports Ministry has allocated about Rp 600 billion to implementing the camps and the remaining Rp 135 billion for other expenses.

The figure is far lower than the Rp 1.2 trillion that was proposed by national sports associations and the National Paralympic Committee that will take part in the Asian Games. Due to the insufficient budget, the Youth and Sports Ministry has revised each sport’s proposed budget based on their medal potential.

Under Presidential Regulation No. 95/2017, the government – or the Youth and Sports Ministry – is responsible for accelerating the improvement of national sports achievements. In addition, the regulation also stipulates that national sports organizations and the National Paralympic Committee receive budgetary assistance from the state.

However, there are two sides to sports organizations directly managing the budget for their athletes’ training. On the one hand, the organizations can enjoy more latitude in managing their national training programs; on the other, the organizations must have an accountable and reliable budget management system. Any misappropriation of funds could lead to litigation.

Sports observer Fritz Simandjuntak said that Indonesian sports’ poor performance in the past few years was closely linked to poor management of the sports budget.

Kompas/Adrian Fajriansyah

A delegation from the Youth and Sports Ministry, led by Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi (third right, in black suit) are photographed during their visit on Tuesday (23/1) to the Kompas editorial offices in Jakarta.

Between 2008 and 2017, the government appointed an institution to manage athlete training and the sports budget. Most recently, the institution was called the Indonesia Gold Program implementation task force (Satlak Prima), which was disbanded in 2017.

In the last 10 years, the management of sports organizations have never created a sports development master plan. As a result, a majority of trainers and managers have been unable to develop training programs and financial management plans.

Former Satlak Prima chief Achmad Soetjipto once said that the training budget for winning one SEA Games gold could reach Rp 1 billion. However, Achmad continued, such a large amount of money would mean nothing without a change in the athletes’ behavior. “If the athletes just eat what they want and not rigorously abide by sports science, it will be difficult to improve their performance,” he said.

In other words, the budget is just one of the many different factors that could lead to success in sports. Apart from talent, as shown by Africa’s long-distance runners, the athletes’ spirit and their training environment also contribute to their victory.

It seems it will be difficult to reach the target to be ranked among the top 10 gold medalists in the 2018 Asian Games, as there are yet to be any significant changes to the national system for sports development. Aside from independently managing their finances, not many sports organization managers are adept at creating structured, multi-tiered training programs in accordance with their athletes’ abilities.