"Our target is to reach the big 10, but if we can rank eighth, well, Alhamdulillah (thank God)," Jokowi said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - All eyes from throughout the world are focused on the Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, being held from August 18 to September 2, 2018, when athletes from 45 countries on the Asian continent are competing to be named the best.
A sporting event anywhere in the world like that of the 2018 Asian Games is the chance to get oneself involved with something he or she cares dearly about.
Going to a major sporting event, such as the Asian Games, would provide the chance for spectators to support their favorite teams, or it might be an opportunity to embrace someone else`s idols as their own.
The Indonesian National Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) has estimated that some five billion spectators around the world are watching Asian Games matches.
Even the number of indirect viewers, or those not present at the venues of the matches, was predicted to be far more, when compared to the live audience, or those at the locations of the games.
Certainly, the number of indirect viewers, for instance, through streaming, will be more than the number of those attending events, and INASGOC is responsible for broadcasting the largest number of Asian Games matches.
Furthermore, there will increasingly be more direct and indirect viewers of the Asian Games, and it is expected to broaden the understanding of Indonesia among people from throughout the world.
Hence, the organizing committee continues to strive for Indonesia to come under the global spotlight, as the host that is able to successfully hold the Asian Games.
If Indonesia proves it can successfully host the 2018 Asian Games, the country could also be chosen to host the upcoming 2032 Olympic Games.
In front of some five billion people around the world who are focused on the ongoing Asian Games, Indonesian athletes are doing their best to make their country proud.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Imam Nahrawi has asked the athletes making up the Indonesian contingent to not allow themselves to be defeated, even if they do not win their events.
As of the sixth day of the 2018 Asian Games on Friday, everything is going well, and the minister praised the athletes performing with their maximum abilities.
When reviewing the 2018 Asian Games bowling competition at Jakabaring Bowling Center in the South Sumatran provincial capital of Palembang on Friday, Minister Nahrawi asserted that all Indonesian athletes who were involved in the competitions at the Asian Games would continue to receive the nation?s appreciation.
According to Minister Nahrawi, the Indonesian government and people of the country will continue to appreciate the struggle and sacrifice made by the athletes involved in this prestigious Asian Games sporting event.
Until the sixth day of the 2018 Asian Games, the minister said the Indonesian contingent displayed a good performance in pursuing medals, and he hoped that in the next few days they could continue to increase the number of medals earned.
In every game, of course there are winners and losers, there is success and failure, but the minister hopes that the Indonesian contingent can maintain this trend, because even though it has not succeeded, there are still opportunities.
If the Indonesian athletes fail to reach the target, the sports and youth affairs minister said no one should blame them, nor press or bully them because they have tried their best.
In the meantime, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), after a meeting with Indonesia`s Muslim organization Muhammadiyah here on Thursday, remarked that the Indonesian athletes` performance at the 18th Asian Games was in line with the targets set.
On the achievement of winning gold medals, the president remarked that the national team was reaching the target to be in 10th place in the Asian Games 2018 medal tally.
"Our target is to reach the big 10, but if we can rank eighth, well, Alhamdulillah (thank God)," Jokowi said.
Indonesia ranked 17th in the medal tally at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and, therefore, the country should be thankful if it can reach 10th place in the 2018 Asian Games.
On his Twitter account, the president shared the good news from the paragliding sport event held in Gunung Mas, Puncak resort area in Bogor, as Indonesia`s athletes on Wednesday won a gold medal in the men`s individual accuracy and silver in the women`s individual accuracy.
Indonesia is currently in fifth place on the medal table after China, Japan, South Korea and Iran. The Indonesian contingent has garnered seven gold medals, five silver medals and nine bronze medals.
On the sixth day of the Asian Games 2018 on Friday, as of 12:30 pm local time, China is dominating the collection of medals, with 59 golds, 41 silvers, and 21 bronzes; Japan 26 golds, 29 silvers, 34 bronzes; South Korea 19 golds, 21 silvers, 28 bronzes; Iran 10 golds, 11 silvers, 8 bronzes; and Indonesia 9 golds, 7 silvers, and 11 bronzes.
Edited by Yoseph Hariyadi
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
