President Bids Farewell To Indonesian Contingent Leaving For Sea Games

Jakarta (Antara Bali) -- President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Tuesday bid farewell to the Indonesian contingent of athletes leaving for the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which will be held in Singapore from June 5 to 16.

"I congratulate and highly appreciate the athletes for being selected to represent Indonesia in the SEA Games," the president said while bidding farewell to the athletes on the yard of Merdeka Palace here.

He added that they were the best Indonesian sons and daughters who were selected to compete in the event for their unrelenting spirit to promote Indonesia in the best possible light.

He also expressed his gratitude to coaches and managers for their hard work to groom the athletes.

On the occasion, Jokowi invited two athletes, one each from the easternmost Indonesian province of Papua and the westernmost province of Aceh, to stand on the podium along with him. The two athletes were 100-meter sprinter Sera of Papua and rower Boni of Aceh.

Sera vowed to bring home two gold medals, while Boni pledged to become an overall champion with 13 gold medals.

Both Sera and Boni have undergone training for two years.

At the SEA Games this year, Indonesia will compete in 32 of the 36 categories.

Moreover, former national badminton player Taufik Hidayat will lead the Indonesian contingent, which comprises 522 athletes and 226 officials. They will depart for Singapore in three batches---on May 29, May 30 and June 2.