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View all search resultsIndonesia spends big on medals, less on development
Indonesia promises billions of rupiah to reward Asian Games medalists, but athletes and experts say shrinking training budgets leave too little investment in developing the talent needed to win.
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Indonesian badminton players Daniel Marthin (second left) and Leo Carnando (second right), gold medalists, pose with bronze medalists Fajar Alfian (left) and Shohibul Fikri on the podium after the men's doubles event on Sept. 29 during the 2026 Asian Games at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, Aichi prefecture. (AFP/Yuichi Yamazaki)
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ndonesia’s generous rewards for Asian Games medalists stand in contrast to shrinking funding for national training programs, raising concerns among athletes and sports experts that the country is rewarding sporting success without adequately investing in the path toward it.
At the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Indonesia finished with 39 medals–five gold, 11 silver and 23 bronze–placing 16th overall.
The gold medals came from the men’s team badminton, men’s badminton doubles, men’s 75-kilogram weightlifting, women’s sport climbing speed and women’s individual compound archery events.
Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir set a modest target of four gold medals earlier this year, after Indonesia won seven at the 2022 Asian games in Hangzhou, China. The minister attributed the more conservative target to budget efficiency, Kompas reported in August.
The cost of the budget cuts came suddenly for Basral Graito, 19-year-old professional skateboarder who finished fourth in the men’s skateboarding event.
“We started training for about a month from January to February, but we were suddenly told to stop without any explanation, though [the team] suspected sudden budget constraints,” Basral recounted.
Read also: Desak climbs to world No. 1 as Indonesia team faces funding uncertainty
