The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games have marked a milestone of sports awakening for Indonesia’s disabled athletes. However, the leap in achievements should not lull us into complacence.
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ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH/KELVIN HIANUSA
·5 minutes read
AFP/OIS/IOC/JOE TOTH
This handout photo released by the Olympic Information Services (OIS) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and taken on September 5, 2021 shows Indonesia\'s Susanto Hary and Oktila Leani Ratri celebrating their victory against France\'s Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noel in the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 gold medal badminton match at the Yoyogi National Stadium during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Indonesia has not only ended its 41-year absence of Paralympics gold, but also recorded its best achievements in history at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Athlete regeneration should be prioritized so this leap in performance leap can be maintained, even boosted further.
Indonesia expanded its medal collection by earning one gold, one silver and one bronze on the closing day of the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday (5/9/2021). The gold medal was contributed by badminton mixed doubles SL3-SU5 pair Hary Susanto and Leani Ratri Oktila. The silver was won by women’s single SL4 shuttler Leani, while men’s single SL4 shuttler Fredy Setiawan won the bronze medal.
The three additional medals helped the Indonesian contingent exceed its target of winning one gold, one silver and two bronze medals in Tokyo to bring home two gold, three silver and four bronze medals. Indonesia ranked 43rd in the medal tally.
The medal wins in Tokyo were also the Red-and-White team’s best accomplishment in the history of Indonesia’s participation in the world’s largest sports event for the disabled. On its first appearance in the Paralympics at Toronto in 1976, Indonesia made surprise gains by winning two gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
In the next Paralympics, Arnhem 1980, Indonesia grabbed two golds and four bronzes. Later, the performance of Indonesia’s Paralympics team slumped and it repeatedly failed without earning another medal.
“Untiringly, the athletes have strived to grab medals (in Tokyo). They have made maximum achievements. It’s not a mere accomplishment, but it also makes history for Indonesia,” Andi Herman, chairman of the Indonesian delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, told a virtual press conference on Saturday.
AP PHOTO/KIICHIRO SATO
Indonesia\'s Hary Susanto, left, and Leani Ratri Oktila pose for photos after receiving a gold medal for mixed doubles SL3-SU5 gold medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
A heroic and tireless struggle was demonstrated on Saturday by Leani, 30, at Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. She competed in two finals, the women’s single and mixed doubles, after finishing four matches on the previous day, including a women’s doubles with Khalimatus Sadiyah that earned a gold.
Leani began to feel exhausted as she faced Cheng He Fang (China) in women’s single final. She told her badminton coach, Sapta Kunta Purnama, that she felt as though her body was “floating” on the court as a result of her lack of sleep.
Yet she kept fighting. “Before the match, she said that she had no problem if she died on the court,” said Sapta, who accompanied Leani courtside.
After pushing herself in the third game, Leani lost to Fang. The defeat boosted her motivation when she played in her mixed doubles final alongside Hary Susanto, 46, three hours after the women’s single final. Lagging at the interval after the first game, Hary-Leani rose up to win gold with a straight two-set victory of 23-21, 21-17 over French pair Lucas Mazur-Faustine Noel.
“I’m striving at [my] maximum for the nation and state. As for my age, it’s of secondary importance. The most important thing is to fight first,” said Hary, who is twice as old as one of his opponents, Mazur, 23.
Inevitably, their struggle earned the appreciation of various circles, especially President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
“This is very heartening news that makes all of us feel proud. After 41 years, we can again win gold at the Paralympics, earning two gold medals altogether. I cannot comment much because their performance was remarkable, both the women’s doubles and mixed doubles (the two events that grabbed gold),” Jokowi told the Indonesian team on Saturday.
AP PHOTO/KIICHIRO SATO
Indonesia\'s Hary Susanto, left, and Leani Ratri Oktila salute to the flag during the national anthem after receiving a gold medal for mixed doubles SL3-SU5 gold medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
Indonesia National Paralympics Committee (NPC) chairman Senny Marbun said the achievements in Tokyo were proof that Indonesia’s disabled athletes always made maximum efforts for the country’s good reputation despite their limitations. The leap in performance at Tokyo 2020, he said, was also inseparable from the government’s support in achieving equality for Paralympic athletes with their non-disabled counterparts.
“We hope that regional administrations have heard and will follow the spirit of equality. So far, many regions have not given full attention to disabled groups, particularly their access to sports development. If they are fostered optimally in the regions, athlete regeneration will surely be smooth and we will find new talents easier,” said Senny.
Regional problem
In Senny’s view, some regional leaders continued to give minimal attention to disabled athletes. Of Indonesia’s 34 provinces, only 12 recognized the NPC’s local presence. If this persisted, it would hamper the development of Paralympic athletes, especially in terms of regeneration. Most of the 11 athletes who won medals at Tokyo 2020 would already be aged over 30 at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, including Leani, Hary and Fredy.
Sports observer Fritz Simanjuntak said that the NPC did not have sufficient capacity to manage the regeneration of quality disabled athletes, especially the national training center in Solo, Central Java. Indonesia needed the even distribution sports centers for the disabled across the regions. As such, disabled access to sports facilities must be expanded.
Many public facilities in the regions were not accessible to people with disabilities. “Indonesia’s achievements at the Tokyo Paralympics should be and occasion to motivate all segments of society to be fair towards disabled groups in all aspects, particularly in sports,” added Fritz.
Sports and Youth Ministry Secretary Gatot S. Dewa Broto said that, through the National Sports Grand Design to be published on the occasion of National Sports Day on Thursday (9/9/2021), the government would encourage all regional administrations to avoid discrimination. “This way, there will no longer be any disparity between fostering disabled athletes and non-disabled ones,” he said.
