Ketum KOI Raja Sapta Okto: Don't Stop Fighting Because Surprises And Miracles Are Always There

JAKARTA - The celebration of the 76th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia is meaningfully interpreted by the Indonesian Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia). This Non-Governmental Organization led by Raja Sapta Oktohari is determined to work extra hard to realize the mission of “Resilient Indonesia, Growing Indonesia” in the sports sector.

Okto, Raja Sapta's nickname, said the independence anniversary which is celebrated every year needs to be interpreted as more than just a celebration. But also contemplation to build Indonesia's sports achievements on the world stage.

"Independence is a warning about the struggles, hopes, and ideals of the founding fathers of the nation, so we need to reflect on where Indonesia wants to go in the future," said Okto, Tuesday, August 17.

"From the sports sector, Indonesia as the fourth largest population country in the world must place itself in appropriate sporting achievements and we are on our way to that," he continued.

Okto explained that China and the United States (US) have proven that as the largest population countries in the world, they can compete tightly in the Olympics. This should be followed by Indonesia. Based on US Census Bureau data on July 1, 2021, China is at the top of the list of countries with the largest population with 1.397 billion people, followed by India (1.339 billion people), the US (332.4 million people), and Indonesia (275.1 million people).

The man who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) explained that Indonesia is now on the right track to compete in the world's top sports rivalries. This is because the government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora) has made the Olympics the main goal of the National Sports Grand Design (DBON).

“We have to be consistent because sport is not just an athlete's achievement, but holistically, sport is a national achievement. All athletes, coaches, officials and events that are participated in become one unit to show that Indonesia has the same dignity as other big countries in the realm of world sports," said Okto.

“Moreover, Mr. President Joko Widodo has given extraordinary attention and appreciation to sports since the beginning. This is a great opportunity to create a legacy from Indonesian sports according to DBON towards 100 years of independent Indonesia so that Indonesia can appear on the world stage," he said.

For Okto, the journey to realize this target is certainly not easy. However, he believes that every effort, endeavor, hope, and prayer will bear sweet fruit. This also happened at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when the struggle of the Indonesian contingent gave surprises and miracles.

“It really happened at the Tokyo Olympics. It's a miracle because there are several athletes, coaches, and even the media who are positive for Covid-19 and can recover in 1-2 days," said Okto.

The surprise, said Okto, was given by Indonesian athletes, such as young athletes namely Rahmat Erwin Abdullah, Windy Cantika, to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting who gave a breakthrough on the Olympic stage by winning a bronze medal. Likewise, Nurul Akmal, Indonesia's first female lifter to compete in the +87kg weight class, was able to occupy the fifth position in the world.

Meanwhile, the silver chip presented by Eko Yuli Irawan made him the second lifter in the world and the first in Indonesia to win four Olympic medals in each of his participations. Meanwhile, the gold medal from the senior-junior duo Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu also became the first in the history of Indonesian badminton women's doubles at the Olympics.

"Indonesia's only gold medal was obtained after Greysia / Apriyani won over the Chinese pair (Chen Qing Chen / Jia Yi Fan) with a score of 21-19 21-15, totaling 76, in accordance with the current Indonesian Independence celebration," said Okto.

“For me, nothing is a coincidence and this is a message for all of us that we must not stop fighting and trying, we must not give up hope because all of this will be answered with many surprises and miracles. This is not the end because Indonesia's aspirations are still very big and the gap is still quite far. NOC Indonesia wants to realize its ambitions and hopes to build even better sporting achievements and we have three years to make it happen at the Paris Olympics,” said Okto.