The President said that he hoped the rigorous selection process would bring achievements. Athletes will hopefully achieve better rankings for Indonesia at the SEA Games in Vietnam than at previous SEA Games.
By
NINA SUSILO
·4 minutes read
BIRO PERS SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN/KRIS
President Joko Widodo released the Indonesian contingent that will compete at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam on 12-23 May 2022, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (9/5/2022).
HANOI, KOMPAS – High hopes have been placed upon the shoulders of Indonesian athletes who went to compete at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, although only a limited few went. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo conveyed his best wishes when sending off the Indonesian athletes to the Vietnam 2021 SEA Games on Monday (9/5/2022) at the State Palace, Central Jakarta.
Meanwhile, Kompas journalists Kelvin Hianusa and I Gusti Agung Bagus Angga Putra reported from Hanoi, Vietnam, regarding preparations the host has made. Without being flashy, various SEA Games knick-knacks and ornaments can be seen at several places.
“I want the current contingent [of athletes], as was stated by the Youth and Sports Minister, to be leaner. But all Indonesians want this contingent to achieve the best, bringing home as many medals as possible to make Indonesia -- our country, our nation -- proud,” said the President.
Also present at the event was Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali, Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) chairman Raja Okto Saptahari, Indonesia National Sports Committee (KONI) chairman Marciano Norman and the Indonesian Contingent chef de mission (mission head) at the 2021 SEA Games, Ferry J. Kono.
The Indonesian contingent consists of 499 athletes, including 313 male and 186 female athletes. The contingent is also accompanied by 214 officials and 63 companions.
The Indonesian team will participate in 318 matches of 32 sports out of the 40 sports events held in Vietnam. The number of athletes who went to compete has decreased drastically. At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, 841 athletes competed.
At the sending-off ceremony, according to chef de mission Ferry J. Kono, not all members of the contingent were present because some gradually departed between 3 May and 16 May. As of Sunday (8/5), athletes competing in 10 sports, including soccer, futsal, kickboxing and golf, had already arrived in Vietnam.
BPMI SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN
President Joko Widodo greeted the athletes who would soon leave for Vietnam to take part in the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games. In the 31st SEA Games, Indonesia will send 499 athletes who will compete in 318 event numbers from 32 sports out of 41 sports that are competed.
Better rankings
The President said that he hoped the rigorous selection process would bring achievements. Athletes will hopefully achieve better rankings for Indonesia at the SEA Games in Vietnam than at previous SEA Games. Indonesia ranked fifth at the 2015 SEA Games and attained the same rank at the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia. It was only in 2019 that Indonesia moved up to fourth.
“We all want to rank third, second or first at the SEA Games in Vietnam,” said the President.
In his report, Zainudin said the Indonesian contingent sent this time was different from the one sent to the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines. Fundamental changes, including a paradigm shift following the President’s directive on National Sports Day in 2020, were made to evaluate the overall national sports ecosystem.
It is hoped that the athletes sent and the branch numbers followed were truly based on track records, achievement records and other objective factors and not subjective reasons.
The evaluation resulted in a grand national sports design, supported by Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 86/2021. Within this grand design, the main goal is to have Indonesia achieve at the global level at each Olympic Games. Thus, the Asian Games and SEA Games serve as an intermediate stage. Choice of participants in the Indonesian contingent at the multi-branch event was based on the recommendations of a review team, which consists of experts, academics, practitioners and representatives of KONI and KOI. “It is hoped that the athletes sent and the branch numbers followed were truly based on track records, achievement records and other objective factors and not subjective reasons,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, Vietnam, although minimal, SEA Games paraphernalia were installed at several points. There is a billboard related to the SEA Games in the immigration area.
Upon exiting immigration, three people held up a board that read “2021 SEA Games Volunteers”. They were ready to provide any information related to the SEA Games to new arrivals.
Hung (35), an employee at a money changer at the airport, said that he keeps up with Vietnam’s soccer team. “The Vietnamese are very enthusiastic about soccer. We are proud of the team’s performance despite their draw with the Philippines yesterday. I’m just waiting for them at the SEA Games now,” said Hung.
