Members of the organising committee checks Bac Tu Liem Gymnasium, the venue of pencak silat at SEA Games 31. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia’s national pencak silat team is confident of winning four gold medals at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) to be hosted by Vietnam this month, according to the Organising Committee.
The Indonesian martial artists are training hard to realise the target set by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
In an interview, coach Indro Catur of the national team said they are closely following training plan and working hard to maintain their stamina, skills and form for upcoming competitions.
Friendlies were organised late March in order to prepare for the SEA Games and evaluate the team’s strengths and weaknesses prior to official matches.
Indonesia secured two golds in pencak silat and most of the medals of the martial art at SEA Games 30 in the Philippines that only hosted nine events. This year, athletes will vie for gold medals across 16 events, which is deemed an advantage for Indonesia, the birthplace of the martial art.
SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23.
The Games will feature over 40 sports, and 526 events with the attendance of some 10,000 athletes and officials from 11 Southeast Asian countries.
This will be the second time that Vietnam has hosted the Games, after the first in 2003./.
