"(This is) because the SEA Games is a secondary target to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and this time, we will try to stay in the top four," Kono noted in an interview broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel here on Monday.
Kono expressed optimism that President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) aspirations conveyed at the team's dispatch ceremony at the Merdeka Palace, Monday, would motivate and boost the athletes' sense of nationalism to deliver achievements in the Vietnam SEA Games.
"The team has started to depart from May 3 and will continue in stages. Some have arrived in Hanoi, and some will depart after the dispatch ceremony," he revealed.
He called for prayers from the Indonesian community, so that the team he leads could achieve the best results in the event.
At the ceremony, President Jokowi expressed optimism that Indonesia would secure third, second, or even first place in the 31st Hanoi SEA Games to surpass the country's earlier achievements.
Indonesia was earlier placed fifth in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore and the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia. The country had then secured fourth place in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
For the 31st SEA Games, Indonesia dispatches a team of 778 people comprising 499 athletes and 214 officials as well as 63 assistants.
The team will compete in 318 events and 32 sports out of the 40 sports branches.
Some 13 sports branches are included within the National Sports Grand Design (DBON), such as weightlifting, athletics, badminton, swimming, and archery, in which the athletes are expected to bag gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Meanwhile, athletes competing in branches outside the DBON, such as basketball, boxing, volleyball, football, and esports, are expected to win gold and silver medals.
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Translator: Indra Arief, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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