Phnom Penh, Cambodia (ANTARA) - Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo lauded the struggle of all Indonesian para-athletes participating in the 2023 ASEAN Para Games (APG) in Cambodia, which saw Indonesia named the general champion in three consecutive editions of the event.
"Indonesia has won (the APG) as general champion again. Certainly, we are very proud and happy that Indonesia has won the title for three editions in a row," he remarked at a press conference at the Morodok Techo Sports Complex, here on Thursday.
Apart from becoming the general champion, a number of Indonesian para-athletes also broke records in para-swimming and para-weightlifting, he noted.
"Moreover, in this (APG) edition, the number of medals we earned are the highest (compared to other editions) when we were not the host, this is a historical moment," the minister noted.
Chef de Mission (CdM) of the Indonesian contingent of the 2023 APG, Andi Herman, said that the champion title was the fruit of the struggle of the athletes since they joined the national training program.
He noted that all parties, including the athletes, coaches, officials, displayed a strong determination to again become the general champion of the sporting event.
"We get results that we are proud of, and some record-breaking achievements. We still have the opportunity to increase our achievements to 140 or 150 gold medals tomorrow (June 9, 2023), on the last day,” he remarked.
General Chairperson of the Indonesian National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Senny Marbun lauded the attention from the Indonesian government, including President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who continues to fully support people with disabilities.
"(Thanks to the support) our athletes are highly motivated to bag more gold medals. We must make Indonesia proud," he stated.
The 2023 APG is being held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from June 3 to 9, 2023.
According to the official website of the event, Indonesia topped the medal tally with 153 gold medals, 141 silver medals, and 87 bronze medals, as of June 8, 2023.
Meanwhile, Thailand was in second place with 123 gold medals, 107 silver medals, and 84 bronze medals.
Previously, Indonesia also were general champions of the 2017 and 2022 editions of the sporting event, held in Malaysia and Indonesia.
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