hopefully more athletes will be able to qualify for the Paris Olympics, compared to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) is targeting the number of athletes who qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to be higher compared to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

"There is no target (for medals) yet. What is clear is, hopefully, more athletes will be able to qualify for the Paris Olympics, compared to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo," KONI Secretary General Tb. Lukman Djajadikusuma told ANTARA here on Sunday.

The Indonesian team sent 28 athletes and one alternate athlete to the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, so far, only five tickets have been secured by Indonesian athletes to participate in the world's largest multi-sport event.

Those athletes are archers Arif Dwi Pangestu and Diananda Choirunisa, gymnast Rifda Irfanalutfi, and climbers Desak Made Rita and Rahmad Adi Mulyono.

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Djajadikusuma expressed optimism about Indonesia's opportunity to have more athletes qualify for next year's Olympics, considering that there are still several key tournaments to collect points and qualify for several mainstay sports, including badminton and weightlifting.

"Several sports have already qualified their athletes for the Olympics, but several other sports have not yet completed the qualifiers; some use points system and qualification system," he said.

He stated that the hope is that Indonesia will be able to continue its medal-winning tradition, both in badminton and weightlifting. In addition, there is also hope for sport climbing, considering that some Indonesian athletes are world record holders, he added.

He explained that preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics are currently carried out by various relevant parties, including sports federations, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Indonesia Olympic Committee, and the KONI.

"There is always room (for improvement). After we were affected by the pandemic conditions in the previous period, we are now together and stronger, united to achieve achievements for Indonesia," he remarked.

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Translator: Arnidhya Nur, Raka Adji
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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