Surakarta, C Java (ANTARA) - Indonesia sets the 2024 Paris Paralympics to be the next target after its achievements at the 11th ASEAN Para Games (APG) in Surakarta and Semarang.
"After the establishment of the Great Design of National Sports (DBON), the main target has become the Paralympics," Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said here on Friday.
He noted that Indonesia’s achievements at the 11th APG must be considered as preparation for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
He emphasized that the event is only an intermediate target of the sports development program in Indonesia. This also applies to the Asian Para Games.
The Indonesian contingent is likely to emerge as the overall champion of the 11th APG, as there is a considerable gap in the medal achievements of Indonesia and other contingents.
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According to the official site of the 11th ASEAN Para Games, as of 7:55 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB, UTC+7) on August 5, 2022, Indonesia has bagged 152 gold, 128 silver, and 103 bronze medals.
Its closest competitor Thailand has clinched 101 gold, 105 silver, and 79 bronze medals. Meanwhile, Vietnam, which is currently ranked third, has won 62 gold, 52 silver, and 49 bronze medals.
Indonesia’s gold medal achievement has far exceeded the target of 104 medals.
"If the athletes perform (well) in both the ASEAN Para Games and the Asian Para Games, they will certainly be sent for the 2024 Paris Paralympics qualification,” the minister said.
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Thus, the implementation of the events should motivate athletes to show that they deserve to compete at the Paralympics, he added.
The 11th ASEAN Para Games is being held in Surakarta city, Karanganyar district, and Semarang city, Central Java province, from July 30 to August 6, 2022.
The event is featuring 14 sports, including athletics, boccia, archery, judo, powerlifting, swimming, table tennis, court tennis, chess, goalball, badminton, cerebral palsy football, basketball, and sitting volleyball.
The next ASEAN Para Games will be hosted by Cambodia in Phnom Penh from June 1 to 10, 2023.
Meanwhile, the next Asian Para Games are scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8, 2023.
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