TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The triumphant performances of our athletes in the Asian Games XVIII held in Jakarta and Palembang is surely an oasis in the current desert land of Indonesian non-accomplishment. Up to the day before the closing ceremony, Indonesia attained 31 gold medals and now holds the fourth position in the games. Not only did we surpass our target of 16 golds, this is the highest sports achievement ever achieved in Indonesian history.
As in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, we have accomplished a double triumph: success as the host country and achievement in attaining a high position in the winners’ spot. Indeed, Indonesia did not get the runner-up position it reached 56 years ago, but the number of medals we gained far surpasses that achieved by Mohamad Sarengat and his cohorts back in 1962.
For sure this accomplishment is something we should be grateful about, but it need not be celebrated too excessively. We still need to observe the progress made in each sports branch with a clear eye. Of the 31 golds won, almost half were for pencak silat. This non-Olympiad sports raked in 14 of the 16 gold medals competed for. This new sports event, like the paragliding and downhill mountain biking events also contributed many gold medals.
This did not mean we lacked in other sporting events. In badminton, Indonesia achieved two gold medals. Karate, lawn tennis, weightlifting, wushu, and rowing contributed a gold medal each. Indonesia getting the gold from each of these prestigious events showed a marked improvement, compared to our performance at the Asian Games in South Korea four years ago. Then, we only managed to get four golds.
A sign of a new momentum in Indonesian sports is also apparent with the many youthful athletes who have emerged. In badminton, there is Jonatan Christie, who gave us a gold, and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, who got a bronze. Doubles Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardiantohavealso shown glowing promise. They grabbed a silver medal after being beaten by their own chums, Marcus Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya.
The athletics event has also given birth to young rising stars, like Lalu Muhammad Zohri and colleagues, who won a silver medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay event. Young Emilia Nova won a silver in the 100-meter hurdles for women. And Sapwaturrahman obtained a bronze medal for the long jump. We can pin our hopes on these youngsters to achieve higher and faster and stronger in the years to come.
New hope also comes from wall climbing, a sporting event to be competed for the very first time in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. In this year’s Asian Games, Indonesia grabbed three gold medals for the event. Aries Susanti Rahayu and Aspar Jaelolo, our shining stars in wall climbing, have already racked up glory in several world competitions.
We need to seriously prepare our athletes joining the fray in the Tokyo Olympics. Aside from depending on badminton, which has been our gold mainstay since the Barcelona Olympics 1992, the government had better push for performance improvement in other sports, such as archery, aquatics and athletics.
Cultivation of athletes for the long term should not be ignored. This is the most effective way to enhance nonstop performance. For events like athletics and swimming, fostering and cultivation should already be carried out since grade school. Exercise and competition methodologies should also be made appropriate for the age categories. We need adequate facilities, talent scouts, trainers, and, obviously, sponsors to develop our sports. Indonesia has carved itself a name in our development of badminton, but we lag far behind in athletics and other sports.
Fostering athletics from a very young age is necessary because what greatness in sport can be achieved in an instant? Countless studies have determined that it takes eight to 10 years of unremitting practice to attain the highest feats. High-achieving athletes on average clock in at least 10,000 hours, or equivalent to three hours of training a day every day for 10 years.
Indonesia can follow the example of China in its development of sports. China has more than 2,000 sports academies, while Indonesia has only 34. Sports academies in China is supported by the latest technology to continuously improve athletic performance. The Chinese government provides more than 600,000 sports centers and stadiums for its citizens.
Our splendid performance in the Asian Games XVIII can be a springboard momentum to put in order how we manage sports development in this country. We cannot rest on our laurels at the Asian level and be satisfied with being champions on our own home turf. We need to show our prowess in the Olympic arena.