Short Preparations, Indonesia Can't Win Overall ASEAN Para-Games 2025

Chairman of the Indonesian NPC, Senny Marbun (central), is targeting Indonesia's realistic achievements in the 2025 ASEAN Para-Games (doc. Indonesian NPC).

JAKARTA A much shorter preparation makes it certain that Indonesia will not be able to maintain the status of the overall champion in the ASEAN Para-Games 2025 at the beginning of next year.

Chairman of the Indonesian NPC, Senny Marbun, said that the national training camp (pelatnas) to prepare for the event was too late because it had to wait for the budget.

"Our target in Thailand cannot be like yesterday. That (made) us very sad. We also get a budget for the national training to be late, less time (preparation)," he said.

Indonesia has set a target of only getting 120 gold medals in Thailand later. This number makes Indonesia likely to occupy second place in the final standings.

As many as 306 athletes from 18 sports (sports) have previously undergone national training since the beginning of this month. The activity will last for the next two months.

"Sports are not as easy as turning the palm of the hand, exercise needs proper training. If it is two months, we feel unable to become overall champions in Thailand later," said Senny.

Meanwhile, Menpora Erick Thohir emphasized the importance of joint work between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Indonesian NPC so that sports development with disabilities runs continuously.

"It is impossible for us to build sports without openness and synchronization of programs. Therefore, I hope that starting today and until 2029 the Ministry of Youth and Sports and NPC Indonesia can sit together as to what the plans and programs are," said Erick.

Erick further considered that the target of 120 gold medals was realistic because Thailand as the host was very aggressive in pursuing the status of the overall champion at home.

"Thailand as the host is very aggressive because they want to win for sure, more or less they (target) 174 gold. So, if you look at the map, the second position is what we can target today," he said.

The national training camp is divided into two regions. The largest number of 291 athletes from 17 sports underwent training camps in Solo and surrounding areas, while the remaining 15 athletes from tenpin sportsmen trained in North Jakarta.

ASEAN Para-Games XIII 2025 will take place from January 20 to January 26, 2026. The organization of this event will be centered in the City of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Indonesia previously always came out as the overall champion in the last two editions of the ASEAN Para-Games, namely in Surakarta 2022 (175 gold medals) and Cambodia 2023 (159 gold medals).