JAKARTA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia pinned high hope for significant medal contribution from karate sports in the 2018 Asian Games (Asiad) following its achievement in the recent 2017 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Malaysia.
"Among our assets were the emergences of new athletes besides those vied in SEA Games. We still have ample of time to train them harder prior to the Asian Games. Competition would be stiffer there," Secretary General of Southeast Asia Karate Federation Agus Santoso said here on Monday.
He said Indonesian karate athletes should have more confidence as they will compete as hosts in the quadrennial Asian sports gala.
"It would psychologically encourage our karate athletes to perform better," Agus added.
Indonesia earned three gold, three silver and seven bronze medals in 2017 SEA Games. In regional level, Agus said that Indonesia's toughest rivals in karate were Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
He expected Indonesia to be among five best teams in the upcoming Asiad after it ranked 17th in 2014 Asian Games in South Korea.
Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang are scheduled to host the 2018 Asian Games from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 with an expected participation of at least 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions.
