The 2018 Asian Games is a means of strengthening sports and friendship.
The Asian Games is strengthening friendship because some sports events require teamwork, in which everyone must work together to achieve a goal. So, in a team, the players might find people they work really well with and go on, most likely, to become best friends.
Playing a sport during the Asian Games to make new friends is one of the most common motives for participating in the event for all athletes.
One of the greatest feelings while playing sports is getting to hang out with friends, sharing the experience of working hard and competing together against others.
The relationships that players develop during sports can lead to a lot of different outcomes, and thus, all the athletes participating in the Asian Games have been encouraged to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship during the matches.
During his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Pencak Silat (Martial Arts) competition at the 2018 Asian Games event at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) on Thursday, Youth and Sports Affairs Minister (Menpora) Imam Nahrawi also reminded all athletes participating in Pencak Silat to uphold sportsmanship.
The opening ceremony was marked with the beating of a gong by the minister, and was enlivened by martial arts warriors from several universities.
Nahrawi expressed hopes that the implementation of the Pencak Silat match at the Asian Games could uphold the brotherhood of fellow warriors in Asia.
"The Asian Games event is an opportunity to maintain our brotherhood, so hopefully, you will be the best," the minister said, adding that the Pencak Silat sport could be a part of the Olympics later.
At the Pencak Silat match, 167 athletes from 16 countries will participate in the competition: Timor Leste, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, India, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Laos, Iran, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Singapore, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia.
The Indonesian government itself is aiming to win two gold medals in Pencak Silat. Indonesia sent 22 athletes to compete in 16 events.
Meanwhile, four athletes from Indonesia, namely Komang Harik Adiputra, Iqbal Candra Pratama, Abdul Malik and Amri Rusdana would compete at the 2018 Asian Games Pencak Silat sports competition, which began on Thursday.
The Indonesian National Martial Arts Family ("Perisai Diri") national training organizer Hasnil Fajri remarked here recently that the inclusion of martial arts in the Asian Games for the first time this time, means such a sport is being played by many countries across Asia.
From Perisai Diri, Wewey Wita is the one athlete to compete at the Asian Games. Wita was the winner of the world championship at the Malaysian SEA Games.
"Wita is one of Indonesia`s leading martial arts athletes, and is expected to win gold medals at the Asian Games," Nahrawi said.
He was optimistic that Indonesia could reach the top position in the four-year event. According to him, the countries that are Indonesia`s competitors are those from the ASEAN, such as Malaysia and Thailand.
Further, he added that although martial arts is not global, Indonesia must continue to maintain the quality of its athletes, in order to remain a reference for martial arts.
In the meantime, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expected Pencak Silat athletes to clinch at least two gold medals at the Asian Games.
"The youth and sports affairs minister has told me that martial arts is targeted to contribute at least two gold medals at the Asian Games," President Jokowi remarked after reviewing the 2018 Asian Games` infrastructure readiness at the Asian Games venue in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) prior to the Asian Games event.
President Jokowi expressed hope that many gold medals would be won in martial arts and also expressed belief that the number of gold medals clinched would exceed the target.
"I hope that as many gold medals as possible would be won in this branch of martial arts," Jokowi stated at the time.
"I believe that with the work carried out, the gold medals won will be more than two. I believe the three-year-long training will definitely produce results at the 2018 Asian Games," he noted.
In addition to fostering friendship among Asians, the Asian Games event also provides a momentum to promote the implementation of Indonesia`s diversity, brotherhood, unity and tourism among the Asian countries.
Indonesia could spread the spirit of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), the spirit of unity in difference, to strengthen the Asian brotherhood.
Edited by Bustanudin
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
