The 2025 ASEAN Para Games, being held in Nakhon Ratchasima from Jan. 20–26, 2026, will see Indonesia aim for 82 gold, 77 silver and 77 bronze medals, a more conservative goal than in recent editions, the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Indonesian National Paralympic Committee (NPC Indonesia) said.
The revised target contrasts with Indonesia’s dominant showing at the 2023 Games in Phnom Penh, where it won 159 gold, 148 silver and 94 bronze medals to secure a third straight overall title.
It also won 175 golds at the 2022 Games it hosted in Solo and 126 golds at the 2017 Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesia has topped the medal table four times in 11 editions and has never finished outside the top two.
Officials said the lower target reflects structural changes rather than reduced ambition. Organizers have dropped 63 events that previously delivered a large share of Indonesia’s gold medals, mainly in athletics and aquatics.
Those cuts forced a recalibration from an initial target of around 120 golds. With fewer events, Thailand is now widely expected to emerge as overall champion of the 13th edition, officials said.
Thailand topped the medal table at the 2025 SEA Games with 233 gold medals, while Indonesia finished second with 91.
Despite the tougher outlook, Indonesia will send a full squad of 290 athletes to compete in 18 sports. Medal hopes remain strongest in athletics, with a target of 25 golds, chess with 12 golds and table tennis with 11 golds.
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Athlete regeneration
NPC Indonesia Chair Senny Marbun said the Games are also being used to accelerate athlete regeneration, with younger competitors deliberately fielded alongside veterans.
Several athletes from the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games have been selected to gain senior-level experience, marking a shift toward long-term development ahead of the Asian Para Games and the Paralympics.
The regeneration program, launched at the 2024 National Paralympic Week in Surakarta, is aimed at producing successors to stars such as powerlifter Ni Nengah Widiasih and badminton player Leani Ratri Oktila.
Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir urged athletes to stay focused despite the lower target, saying concentration, mental resilience and efficiency would be critical to achieving the 82-gold goal.
About 1,700 athletes from 11 countries will compete for 493 gold medals in 19 sports.
Officials said Indonesia’s performance in Nakhon Ratchasima should be judged not only by medals but also by how well it manages the transition toward sustainable success, with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics after a strong showing in Paris in 2024.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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