Athletes from 41 Countries Registered for Asian Para Games

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 2,888 athletes from 41 countries have been registered for the Asian Para Games, which will take place on October 6-13, based on data received by the organizing committee INAPGOC.

Around 1,100 athletes must undergo classification; 300 of the Asian Para Games athletes are blind, including those from Indonesia, and so many classifiers are needed for the classification process. 

INAPGOC Director for Classification, Christopher Muliadi Siagian, said in Solo that the classification was to determine the events that the athletes would compete in. The classification process itself is carried out by teams that already have international certification, but there are not many in number. 

The competition of the athletes at the Asian Para Games will take place faster because before competing officially, they must first undergo a tough classification. 

Through classification, the steps of the athletes will be determined. It may happen that the results of the classification are not in line with their expectations; for example, they would have been trained in T46 class for athletics, but they may have to go down to class T47 after classifications, with some even failing to qualify.

Read: Asian Para Games Torch Relay to be Held in Indonesia`s Cities

INAPGOC brought 84 certified classifiers and people experienced in their respective fields for this classification, starting from Oct. 2. 

Although there are 18 sports contested, not all of them undergo classification, and one of them is wheelchair tennis. This happens because this sports branch uses a ranking system, considering that there are regular championships that are in accordance with applicable rules. 

Indonesian athletes participating in Asian Para Games are ready, even though there are some athletes who have to undergo classification, but they are expected not to face obstacles. 

In the Asian Para Games, the Youth and Sports Ministry has targeted Indonesia to finish in the top five. 

Secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry Gatot S Dewa Broto remarked on Tuesday that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) only wanted Indonesia to secure a top-seven spot, but he believes it will be able to finish in top five rather than top seven. 

Indonesia ranked ninth in the Asian Para Games 2014 held in Incheon, South Korea.

"To be sure, we have our own estimate and strategy. This is part of our sports intelligence. Similar to the recently concluded Asian Games, we have our own calculations," he noted. The calculation and strategy covered sports that the host contingent is expected to dominate, Gatot added.

The Asian Para Games is expected to bring together 2,800 athletes and 1,800 officials from 41 National Paralympic Committee (NPC) member countries. They will compete in 18 sports, including basketball, volleyball, fencing, table tennis, swimming, shooting, judo, cycling, weightlifting, bowling, badminton, handball, and tennis.

ANTARA