The number of medals must not go down. If it does, then it means that we have issues in our performance.
Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has expressed the hope that Indonesia will retain the medal tally it achieved at the Vietnam SEA Games in the Cambodian edition of the games this year from May 5–17.

"The number of medals must not go down. If it does, then it means that we have issues in our performance," he said during a visit to Padang State University, West Sumatra, on Friday.

Although the Cambodian SEA Games have not been officially opened yet, competitions in some sports branches had been held as of 7 a.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB) on Friday, with Indonesia taking one gold and five bronze medals, which put it in fifth position in the medal standings.

Meanwhile, host Cambodia was at the top of the table with nine medals—five golds and four silvers.

"Some countries have been leading in front of us, so we should seriously treat the SEA Games as a proving ground. Hopefully, we can maintain our performance so that we can be the grand champions, or at least finish as runner-ups,” Amin said.

As the head of the coordinating team for the Grand Design of National Sports (DBON), he affirmed that targets have been set for the SEA Games.

"The SEA Games is a precious opportunity for our athletes. We should aim for either first or second place. If it turns out that we cannot finish in either of them, then that will be an impetus for improvement. Our achievements in the event will be assessed through the DBON, whether we are making progress or not," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday (May 2), President Joko Widodo sent off the Indonesian contingent comprising 599 athletes as well as 230 coaching staff and officials to Cambodia. The athletes will compete in 31 sports at the 32nd SEA Games.

On that occasion, the President asked the contingent to bag more gold medals and finish at a higher rank than in the previous SEA Games edition in Vietnam in which Indonesia finished third with 69 gold medals.

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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Sri Haryati
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