JAKARTA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian national karate team is scheduled to depart for the Philippines on Thursday to vie in the current 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and has set a target of securing five gold medals in the multi-sports event.
A total of 17 of the best Indonesian karate athletes are to compete in the Games from December 7 to 9 taking place at the WTC Mal Manila in the Philippine capital of Manila, the Indonesian Karate Association's Secretary Raja Sapta Ervian has said.
"Hopefully the karate athletes will be able to bring home five gold medals from the SEA Games," he said.
The secretary said that the association was upbeat over the target as the country's athletes had ever recorded similar or higher achievement in the event during the 2005 SEA Games also in the Philippines.
The Indonesian karate team secured ten gold medals during the 2011 SEA Games held in the country and obtained five gold medals in the 2005 SEA Games in the Philippines, media reported on Wednesday.
"We are sanguine that the athletes will be able to show their best performance during the Games," said Ervian.
Manager of the training camp for the athletes Djafar Djantang said three out of the five gold-medal-targets would be contributed by the Kumite event and the rest from the kata event.
