Indonesia aims for 4 gold medals at 2026 Asian Games despite budget cuts

Indonesia remains committed to achieving optimal performance at the 2026 Asian Games, even with a substantially reduced budget for national training. Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir assured stakeholders that preparations will be maximized despite the financial constraints.

The budget allocated for national training camps has seen a significant drop, falling from around Rp389.8 billion for the 2022 Asian Games to Rp81 billion for the upcoming 2026 event. Thohir emphasized that the government prioritizes the contingent's travel expenses to ensure athletes can compete effectively.

Indonesia has set a target of four gold medals for the 2026 Asian Games. This revised target is lower than the seven gold medals achieved in 2022, as three events that previously contributed to Indonesia's medal haul have been removed from the competition program. These include 10 meter running target and 10 meter running target mixed from shooting, and traditional boat race.

To meet this goal, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is collaborating with various national sports bodies, including the National Sports Committee of Indonesia and the Indonesian Olympic Committee. Thohir also called for greater support from stakeholders, particularly in funding and athlete development, acknowledging the crucial role of adequate attention for athletes and coaches striving for international success. He also recognized the contributions of figures like Rosan Roeslani and Yenny Wahid in supporting national sports development.

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At the 2022 Asian Games, Indonesia won seven gold medals. The target has now decreased because three competition numbers are no longer contested. With the current conditions, plus three competition numbers not being contested, our target for this year's Asian Games is four gold medals.