Members of Indonesia’s under-22 soccer team celebrate their victory after beating Myanmar 3-1 in the fight for a bronze medal in the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at Selayang Stadium in Selangor, Malaysia, on Tuesday (29/8).
The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, has just ended. Indonesia suffered a devastating failure in the biennial multisporting event, which was held in Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesia failed to achieve its target to win 55 gold medals; its target to reach the top four among ASEAN countries could also not be realized. Indonesia\'s achievements in the 2017 SEA Games continued to decline in the history of the competition.
When this year’s SEA Games came to an end, Indonesia was only ranked fifth with 38 gold, 63 silvers and 90 bronze medals, lagging behind Malaysia, which became the overall winner, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
Indonesia’s athletes fought hard in the SEA Games and we must appreciate their efforts. However, too many non-technical factors have been ignored. The government does not seem to be serious about managing the athletes.
There were many problems, such as bad preparation, the delay in giving pocket money, the nutrition of athletes — all of which did not receive the proper attention. A rigid and strict budget also contributed to Indonesia’s failure and the government must be held responsible.
This newspaper writes, "Emergency for Indonesia’s Sports" as its headline. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said he was disappointed with the achievement. Chairman of the Indonesian SEA Games Contingent Aziz Sjamsuddin apologized, as did Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, who commented, "I must apologize and be responsible for this achievement."
The public is still waiting for the concrete realization of the responsibility and apology expressed by Imam. Whether it is just a verbal remark or a promise to cope with the lack of management of Indonesian sports and preparation for the SEA Games, the public is still waiting for further steps of the government’s responsibility for the poor performance of Indonesia in the 2017 SEA Games.
Before the SEA Games was held, this newspaper often reported the various obstacles related to Indonesia’s preparation, such as the lack of training equipment and the delay in distributing pocket money. However, the criticism was not resolved until the SEA Games ended with disappointing results.
The government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is known for its serious commitment to the development of physical infrastructure in several regions. Such a program has received an appreciation from the public. However, in the context of building the character of the nation, infrastructure alone is not enough and must be balanced with human development, including sports. Build his soul, build his body for Indonesia
Referring to the SEA Games experience, a thorough evaluation of all stakeholders should be made. All aspects of Indonesia’s financing for the event should receive serious attention, so that athletes and sports managers should not use their own money. Without a thorough revamp, the target to get good results in the 2018 Asian Games will only be a dream and we will again be disappointed.
