The NPC training camp at Karanganyar will be the place of stay, the training ground, and if needed, the school for para-athletesKaranganyar, Central Java (ANTARA) - Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali highlighted the government's plan to establish a training centre for Indonesian paralympic athletes at the Cakra Pahlawasri Camping Ground, Karanganyar District, Central Java.
The planned construction of the training centre demonstrates President Joko Widodo's high regard for Paralympic athletes and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) whose stellar performance helped to successfully place Indonesia in the 43rd rank in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, a significant improvement from the 76th rank achieved at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he stated.
"For the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Indonesia actually targeted to only rank 60th. However, outstanding work by the NPC officials, para-athletes, and coaches successfully helped Indonesia to achieve the 43rd rank," Amali remarked while observing the construction site for the NPC training camp here on Saturday.
The minister is optimistic that Indonesian para-athletes would train at the NPC training centre at Karanganyar before their departure for the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.
"The NPC training camp at Karanganyar will be the place of stay, the training ground, and if needed, the school for para-athletes," Amali remarked.
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He noted that the training centre will be constructed on a five-hectare plot of land provided by the NPC, and a similar training centre in South Korea will serve as the design reference for the new complex.
"If the training centre for athletes in Cibubur (East Jakarta) will draw reference from similar facilities in Japan, then the training centre for para-athletes will do the same from South Korea. God willing, we will commence the construction this year," the minister stated.
Amali confirmed that the construction of sporting facilities would be handled by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing rather than the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Meanwhile, Indonesia NPC chairperson Senny Marbun is confident that the new facility will enhance the training of Indonesia's para-athletes before they participate in the Paralympics.
The training camp will be constructed to facilitate up to two thousand athletes and 13 sports numbers, he revealed.
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"We will select the para-athletes from the regional level and then the national level before admitting them to the training camp at Karanganyar. We believe that the para-athletes' selection and monitoring processes will improve (owing to the new facility), as we can better monitor the progress of the para-athletes (there)," Marbun stated.
Moreover, Karanganyar District Head, Juliyatmono, who joined the minister and NPC head during the visit, affirmed the regional authority's full support to the training camp's construction work, as it would be beneficial for the residents of Karanganyar.
"We are ready to support the facilities by constructing access roads or other necessities because we are glad that Karanganyar will host the training camp," Juliyatmono remarked.
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Translator: Bambang Dwi M, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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