JAKARTA - The Indonesian National Paralympic Committee (NPC) targets athletics to donate 35 gold medals at the 2022 ASEAN Para Games in Surakarta, Central Java, 23-30 July.
To meet this target, 23 male athletes and 22 female athletes have so far participated in the national athletic training center for the ASEAN Para Games at the UNS Surakarta Stadium. Some athletes will still join the national training, so that later in athletics, 66 athletes can be strengthened.
"We are preparing as many as 66 athletes for the athletic branch to prepare for the 2022 APG, but those who have joined the national training are 45 athletes and the rest will join the national training this April," said NPC Indonesia athletic trainer Purwo Adi in Solo, Saturday.
Some of the athletes who have not yet joined the national training will be sent to take part in a trial in Switzerland in May which will also be used as preparation for the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
Purwo estimates that the 2022 ASEAN Para Games will contest approximately 120 numbers out of a total of 200 numbers prepared, but the certainty is still waiting for the results of the discussion of the participating countries that send athletes to the numbers that can be contested.
Athletics usually win a total of 120 gold medals and Indonesia is targeted to collect 35 gold from the running, jumping and throwing events that are contested.
NPC Indonesia in athletics at the 2017 ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, managed to donate 40 gold for the Indonesian contingent, which at that time managed to become the overall champion.
"We are optimistic that the Indonesian NPC athletics branch can achieve what is targeted. Indonesia's strong competitor in the ASEAN Para Games event is Thailand because its athletes are often sent to world events," he said.
Chairman of the NPC Indonesia, Senny Marbun, said as many as 1,500 participants from nine countries in Southeast Asia had registered to take part in the 2022 ASEAN Para Games, namely Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Brunei, and the host Indonesia.
According to Senny, two other participating countries that have not yet registered are Laos and Vietnam. Because, the two countries are still waiting for an official invitation from the organizing committee in Indonesia.
The ASEAN Para Games will feature 14 sports, namely athletics, boccia, archery, judo, weight lifting, swimming, table tennis, court tennis, chess, goalball, badminton, bicycle racing, CP football and sitting volleyball.
Indonesia will field around 300 athletes to participate in all the sports that are competed. Opportunities for collecting gold medals for Indonesia include badminton, athletics, chess, swimming, table tennis, and weight lifting.
NPC Indonesia targets to become the overall champion of the 2022 ASEAN Para Games, defending the same title won in Kuala Lumpur by winning 126 gold medals.
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