Main Goal Set for Olympics

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Indonesian national team midfielder Marc Klok (right) is tackled by Timor Leste national team player Gumario Augusto Da Silva (left) in the preliminary round match for the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games football at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho, Vietnam, Tuesday (10/5/2022). Indonesia won over Timor Leste with a score of 4-1.

VIETNAM 2021 SEA GAMES

HANOI, KOMPAS — After being postponed for almost half a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games officially begins on Thursday (12/5/2022) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Several sports, including pencak silat, have already begun competing prior to the opening of the Games. Kompas journalists Kelvin Hianusaand I Gusti Agung Bagus Angga Putra reported on the atmosphere during the pencak silat individual and team semifinals at Bac Tu Liem Gymnasium in Hanoi on Tuesday (10/5).

“Indonesia! Indonesia!” shouted dozens of members of the Indonesian team to support their teammates.

The "Red and White" pencak silat fighters were among the athletes of several sports competing that day, before the biggest biennial multisport event in the region opens officially. The raucous home crowd cheered their athletes, but Indonesian fighters were not overwhelmed against their opponents fighting on home turf.

The buildup to the SEA Games is usually loaded with an air of optimism and confidence over medal prospects among national sports authorities. This has not been the case this time around, with them hardly heard speaking about potential medal achievements.

During the official send-off for Indonesian athletes in Jakarta, Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali pointed out that there was no specific target for medals or final rankings for the “Red and White” contingent. The newly drawn-up National Sports Design (DBON) follows the paradigm that the sporting event contested by ASEAN member states is only an intermediate level, or a springboard for the Olympics.

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The new paradigm aims to transform Indonesia's regional achievements into broader global recognition. Indonesia has been crowned the SEA Games champion several times, but when it comes to competing on the world stage, it has often fall short of raising the bar, as shown from the Seoul 1988 to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The national organization for weightlifting, which along badminton is Indonesia’s traditional medal winner in the Olympics, looks to triumph under the new paradigm.

"We are not preoccupied with a medal target in the SEA Games. The goal is to get our lifters through to the Olympics. Of course, they are expected to prove their progress in Vietnam," said weightlifting team coach Dirdja Wihardja.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR

President Joko Widodo talks and greets athletes after releasing the Indonesian contingent that will fight at the SEA Games XXXI 2021 Vietnam, Monday (9/5/2022).

Medal-minded

Unfortunately, the new paradigm has yet to be translated into proper execution. This may be because it is being introduced for the first time, so its implementation has strayed somewhat from the defined purposes.

The ministry’s National Sports Achievement Improvement (PPON) review team still looks to be shackled by the old paradigm of instant achievements in selecting the athletes for Hanoi. The medal count still seemed to be the main consideration for their selection. As a result, several athletes who match the DBON’s Olympics priorities have been left out, like female athletes in rhythmic gymnastics and swimming.

What should be prioritized are the athletes’ Olympics prospects, not winning gold at the SEA Games.

“How should we view a sports event like the SEA Games? Is it an arena that is part of comprehensive athlete development, or is it a place only for those with [medal] prospects?” Tigor Tanjung, executive secretary-general of the Indonesia Track and Field Association (PB PASI), asked rhetorically. “Since 2005, there has been a tendency for sports [organizations] to send only athletes with a chance at winning medals,” he said.

The new paradigm can be realized if national sports authorities are willing to compromise their medal ambitions for the SEA Games. What should be prioritized are the athletes’ Olympics prospects, not winning gold at the SEA Games.

This article was translated by Musthofid.