Jokowi hands over bonus to Asian Games medalists

Indonesian athletes win 31 gold, 24 silver and 43 bronze medals in Asian Games 2018.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) presented a bonus to athletes and their coaches, who have successfully won medals in the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang at the State Palace here on Sunday or the final day of the event. He thanked them for their achievements.

"Thank you for the history you have written. In view of the achievement I told the sports minister yesterday that I myself would hand over the bonus before the event is closed," he told national athletes, officials, and coaches who gathered at the palace for the presentation of the bonus.

Indonesia won 31 gold, 24 silver and 43 bronze medals or totally 98 medals from the four-yearly event to rank fourth after China, Japan, and South Korea. Jokowi admitted that the government had only set the target of gold medal collection at 16.

"(Although it was not too high) many had expressed doubt, pessimism that it would be achieved. So, I came again and again to the vice president to ask if the target was right or should we review it."

"We may be optimistic but we must also be realistic. However some others had even said that it must be increased four more models. While a target of 16 gold medals was enough to make us anxious they even asked for more. However, today, it was proven they were right. We won 98 medals consisting of gold, silver and bronze medals from across the sport branches," he said.

Jokowi said the achievement was a big one that must be used as the foundation for achieveing future targets. He symbolically handed over the bonus in the form of savings account books to Eko Yuli Irawan (weightlifting), Puspa Arum Sari (pencak silat), Aries Susanti Rahayu (sport climbing) representing gold medalists, Sri Wahyuni (weightlifting), Aspar (sport climbing), Alexander Elbert Sie (soft tennis) representing silver medalists and Nining Purwaningsih (downhill cycling race), Amri Rusdana (pencak silat) and Bunga Imas (skateboard) representing bronze medalists.

An individual gold medalist receives Rp1.5 billion (around US$100,000) each. Meanwhile, a doubles event gold medalist Rp1 billion each and Rp750 million for each member of a team.

Minister of public housing Baduki Hadimulyono said he would also award the gold medalists with a 36-type house worth between Rp70 million and Rp100 million. Silver individual medalists on the other hand receive Rp500 million each or Rp400 million each for doubles event silver medalists and Rp300 million for each member of a team medalist,

Bronze individual medalists receive Rp250 million each, Rp200 million each for doubles event bronze medalists and Rp150 million each for bronze team medalist. The government also gives a bonus to coaches of the medalists.

The 18th Asian Games 2018 is scheduled to be officially closed here on Sunday evening. Jokowi, unlike in the opening ceremony, would not be present at the ceremony but would watch it together with the people on the island of Lombok in the eastern province of West Nusa Tenggara who were affected by recent earthquakes.

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