Hence, strive with all your might by upholding sportsmanship.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo stated that the 2023 ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia could help Indonesian paralympic athletes prepare for the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Hence, the athletes joining the 2023 ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia, scheduled on June 3-9, 2023, were expected to strive to give their best achievements, he said as quoted from the Youth and Sports Ministry’s website here Tuesday.

"The national sports achievement roadmap targets the Paralympics (as the main achievement target). Thus, we make the multi-event (2023) ASEAN Para Games and the (2023) Asian Para Games as intermediate (achievement) targets ahead of the next (Paris) Paralympics,” he affirmed.

The minister emphasized that the achievements in the ASEAN as well as the Asian Para Games can serve as an evaluation for each athlete to assess whether they will be able to compete in the Paralympics.

"Hence, strive with all your might by upholding sportsmanship," he remarked.

Furthermore, considering the great achievements of the Indonesian contingent in the previous editions of the ASEAN Para Games, the contingent is targeted to top the medal standings of this 2023 edition, he noted.

"According to our experience participating in the 2023 SEA Games Cambodia, there were some unfair treatments, but it should not dampen our enthusiasm to keep fighting (in the 2023 ASEAN Para Games), and hopefully, our enthusiasm will keep growing,” Ariotedjo stated.

“During the preparation for the ASEAN Para Games, Cambodia had borrowed a lot of sporting equipment from Indonesia since Indonesia is considered to be the best country (in ASEAN) in developing athletes with disabilities,” he stated.

Chef de Mission (CdM) of the Indonesian contingent Andi Herman said that the country sent 286 athletes to partake in 12 sports in this ASEAN Para Games.

They are eyeing to bag 121 gold medals, 92 silver medals, and 84 bronze medals.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesian contingent members, including officials, totals 500.

The contingent was inaugurated and dispatched by the minister at the Surakarta Town Hall, Solo City, Central Java Province, on Monday (May 29, 2023).

Related news: Solo city prepares to host ASEAN Para Games
Related news: Sports Ministry to anticipate possible cheating at ASEAN Para Games


Translator: Arnidhya Zhafira, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023