We will send only athletes with strong potential to win a medalJakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) urged Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali to consistently implement the Grand Design of National Sports (DBON) following Indonesia's success in increasing its medal tally in the 31st SEA Games.
"(We have) received the instruction from (the President) to be consistent in implementing the DBON because (its success) has been proven. The president is happy and has expressed his gratitude to all stakeholders, to the Ministry, the National Sports Committee, the National Olympics Committee, leaders of sporting fields, universities, and other institutions that have supported the DBON," Amali stated.
The President earlier welcomed the Indonesian contingent for the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam at the Merdeka Palace here on Monday.
The minister noted that implementation of the grand design demonstrates a paradigm shift in the development of national sports, especially in sending athletes to multi-sports events, from applying quantity-oriented measures to quality-orientated measures.
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"(The implementation) will be more strict in the future because DBON's main target will be the Olympics. SEA Games and Asian Games are only intermediary targets," Amali noted.
He affirmed that in future, Indonesia will only send athletes, with a strong possibility of winning medals or those who have been trained to participate in higher multi-sport international events.
"We will send only athletes with strong potential to win a medal. We do not want to send athletes carelessly, as it will be a waste of state funds," the minister emphasized.
Intensifying athletes' preparations is consistent with President Jokowi's instruction to conduct a thorough review of the national sports development ecosystem, he pointed out.
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"We will implement the Grand Design of National Sports according to Presidential Regulation No. 86 of 2021. This will also be our answer to the president's instruction for us and other stakeholders to completely review the national sports development ecosystem," Amali remarked.
Indonesia's success in the 31st SEA Games has established a benchmark for determining the parameter of the Indonesian contingent's participation and target in international multi-sport events, such as the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics, the minister added.
Despite Indonesia's national contingent for the 31st SEA Games comprising only 499 athletes -- a decrease of 40.6 percent from the earlier games edition -- Indonesia's medal achievements increased to 80.96 percent, as some 408 athletes successfully bagged medals during the games.
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Translator: Indra Arief P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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