TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is aiming to win the first place in the 2019 ASEAN School Games (ASG). The country contingent chief Yayan Rubaeni said the team determined to bag 36-38 gold medals.

Indonesian Student Sports Development Agency (Bapopsi) predicted seven out of nine sport branches potentially earn gold medals. The sports are athletics (8-10 golds), swimming (12-14 golds), badminton (4 golds), volleyball (1 gold), basket (1 gold, tennis (2 gold), and pencak silat (6 golds).

According to Yayan, Indonesia could perch the top should the contingents acquire 36-38 golds. “We are optimistic in reaching the target,” he said in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 3.

In last year’s competition, Indonesian contingent surpassed the set target on the gold tally, 26 medals. The students ranked second in ASG with 31 golds, 36 silvers, and 31 bronzes, below the host Malaysia with 37 golds, 34 silvers, and 31 bronzes.

As this year’s host, he went on, Indonesia had a chance to propose one sport, and that was pencak silat that was highly potential to win golds.

The 2019 ASEAN School Games would have 117 matches; 59 men, 54 women, and four doubles. The participant comes from 10 countries of Southeast Asia. Indonesia was set to send 250 contingents comprised of 183 athletes, 38 coaches, 9 managers, and 20 officials.

ADITYA BUDIMAN