Pioneering a New Paradigm in Sports Development

The national sports scene sent out positive signals in 2019. Among them was the courage the government showed to use the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as a medium for developing junior athletes.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Hendra Purnama of Indonesia releases an arrow during the men\'s individual recurve final on Sunday (8/12/2019) during the Philippine 2019 SEA Games at the Clark Parade Grounds in Pampanga, the Philippines. Hendra won the gold medal on defeating Myanmar archer Htike Linn Oo 6-4.

The national sports scene sent out positive signals in 2019. Among them was the courage the government showed, through the Youth and Sports Ministry, to use the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as a medium for developing junior athletes. The step, carried out consistently, could be a great jumping point towards elite championships in Asia and the world.

The public has urged the use of the SEA Games as part of the athlete regeneration program for many years. However, the government seemed trapped in the “gold medal curse” and always targeted becoming the overall champion of the regional multisport event. Consequently, athlete regeneration was slow in many sports.