We hope we can achieve our target: the gold medal
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian cerebral palsy (CP) football team will aim for the gold medal at the upcoming ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia to emulate the U-22 national football team’s victory at the 2023 SEA Games.

"The gaze of our athletes is aimed at the same achievement; our determination to win the gold medal has emboldened," the Indonesian CP football team’s manager, Rio Suseno, said, according to a statement received here on Thursday.

Year-long intensive preparation and training centralization following the 2022 ASEAN Para Games are behind the CP team's determination and confidence in achieving the gold medal at the upcoming games, he explained.

The team has participated in several test matches with local football schools in Surakarta, Central Java, where their training took place, he added.

"With such preparation, we are optimistic that the athletes are more ready. We hope we can achieve our target: the gold medal," Suseno said.

Besides better preparation, the team’s composition is also better, the team manager added.

"We will bring 14 athletes, and one position will have a backup player. We hope the coaching team will be more convenient to manage their strategy and (players') rotation," he said.

Meanwhile, the team's head coach, Anshar Ahmad, said that the national CP football team has shown promising improvement in various aspects.

"The conditions, in general, are good, from the physical, mental, and tactical comprehension aspects," he expounded.

For the upcoming ASEAN Para Games, Indonesia will send 268 para-athletes who will compete in 12 sports: para-athletics, para-badminton, para-table tennis, para-swimming, weightlifting, blind judo, para-chess, sitting volleyball, CP football, boccia, wheelchair basketball, and goalball.

The Indonesian contingent is also seeking to record their third win in the games after achieving the overall champion title in the last two editions of the ASEAN Para Games in 2017 and 2022, which were hosted by Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively.

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Translator: Muhammad Ramdan, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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