Indonesia hopes to capitalise on home advantage

Indonesia will be among 45 countries sending around 10,000 athletes to compete in 40 sports and 67 disciplines, including new events like bridge, jet skiing, roller skating and the Indonesian martial art pencak silat. Indonesia, with a population of nearly 260 million, is fielding 938 athletes across the whole sports programme with the goal of winning at least 16 gold medals with the help of the new disciplines the host has brought in.

Its previous record was the 21 it won the last time the Games were held in Jakarta in 1962. “If Indonesia only relies on Olympic sports, then our chance of winning medals is not that big,” said Gatot S Dewa Broto, the youth and sports ministry’s secretary.

Indonesia has a big opportunity to earn medals from the new events but the home team will not have it easy, Ekawahyu Kasih, Indonesia Bridge Association chairman, said. “This is the first time bridge enters the Asian Games and all competing countries want to make history,” he said.

Indonesia’s 24 bridge “athletes”, which includes tycoon Michael Bambang Hartono has undergone intensive training and competed in the United States and Europe for the past two months under the supervision of professional bridge player and writer Krzysztof Martens. The team is aiming to win two of the six bridge gold medals available at the Games.

Indonesia won only four gold medals at the last Asian Games in Incheon four years ago — in the women’s long jump, badminton’s men and women doubles, and the Chinese martial art of wushu. One of its main hopes for gold will be men’s badminton doubles pairing of Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, currently the world’s top ranked duo.