Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Andi Herman, the Chef de Mission (CdM) of the Indonesian Contingent in the 12th ASEAN Para Games, expressed that the Indonesian athletes are ready to compete in the event scheduled to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 3rd to 9th June 2023.

"We are fully prepared, both physically and mentally. Our support team, comprised of psychologists, masseurs, doctors, and other staff, accompanies and ensures that our athletes are in optimal condition for the competition," he stated in a statement released by the Indonesian NPC on Tuesday (30/5/2023).

He mentioned that Indonesia is striving to make history by achieving a hat-trick, becoming overall champions for the third consecutive time in the largest disabled sports event in Southeast Asia.

"This will be an exceptional accomplishment that will pose a significant challenge for other countries to surpass," he added.

In pursuit of the overall champion title, the Indonesian contingent has set their sights on securing a minimum of 121 gold medals. They will be represented by a team of 268 athletes competing across 12 sports disciplines, encompassing para-athletics, para-badminton, para-table tennis, para-swimming, weightlifting, blind judo, para-chess, sitting volleyball, CP football, boccia, wheelchair basketball, and goalball.

"The target is derived from our calculations and the outcomes of our training and tryouts thus far. It represents a higher number compared to our previous target during the hosting of the ASEAN Para Games 2022, where we aimed for 104 gold medals," he said.

Indonesia has demonstrated outstanding performance in the last two editions of the ASEAN Para Games, consistently claiming the overall champion title. In the 9th ASEAN Para Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Indonesian team secured an impressive tally of 126 gold medals, 75 silver medals, and 50 bronze medals.

During that event, Indonesia surpassed the host country, Malaysia, which secured the second-place position with 90 gold medals, 85 silver medals, and 83 bronze medals. Thailand attained the third position with 68 gold medals, 73 silver medals, and 95 bronze medals.

In the subsequent event held in Solo, Central Java, the Indonesia team successfully defended their championship title, amassing an outstanding haul of 175 gold medals, 144 silver medals, and 107 bronze medals.

(ndt/pr/um)