Where did Indonesia win its first-ever Olympic medals and in which sport? Seoul in 1988 and the women archers, Lilies Handayani, Kusuma Wardhani and Nurfitriana Lantang. The medals were silver but nonetheless welcome for all that. The world’s fourth-largest nation had at last broken the ice.

Four years later in Barcelona Alan Budi Kusuma and Susi Susanti, soon then to be married, went one better and took gold in their respective badminton singles, triggering off a short-lived national delirium. Forgotten for the moment was their Chinese ethnic origin, Alan and Susi were feted in a motorcade down Jalan Thamrin and Jalan Sudirman.
Tae-kwan-do athletes also struck silver in the Catalan capital.

In Sydney four years ago the roster of sports with Indonesian winners widened a little as the doughty women weightlifters brought home medals. But still the pickings overall have been slim.

What might explain the dearth? Poverty? Perhaps, but Kenya and Ethiopia are poor countries for sure, the latter much poorer than Indonesia, and yet they can be certain of athletics medals. It seems you just have to whistle up a mountainside in either country and down will come a world-class runner or two, male and female; Kip Keino, Henry Rono, Noah Ngeny, Abebe Bekele, Derartu Tulu, the list is endless.

Finland has a much, much smaller population than Indonesia but can point to prowess and success across a very wide range of sports.

Is it physique then? Perhaps. Indonesians are in general shorter and stockier than the East Africans and not made for the stamina events such as long-distance running. Why then since Purnomo got through to the second round of the 100m in the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984 have there been no Indonesian sprinters of note?

Lack of real interest and will to develop the sport of athletics may be the real answer.

For aspiring Indonesian sportspersons there are multiple obstacles to overcome, not least incompetent and self-serving leadership in their respective federations, not a few of which are headed by people who know next to nothing about the sport. The National Olympic Committee (KONI) is something of a shambles, its role in the missing billions of rupiah from the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games still unresolved.

This time around Indonesia again looks to badminton, archery and weightlifting for Olympic success as well as in tae-kwando in which the feisty Juana Wangsa Putri is looking for glory. Tennis starlet Angie Widjaja will also hope to raise the red-and-white in triumph.

After the disappointment of this year’s Thomas and Uber Cups here in Jakarta, the shuttlers will be carrying the weight of further expectation with them to Athens. Whatever the overall medal returns, any Indonesian coming home with one will be handsomely rewarded; Rp. 1 billion for gold, Rp. 500m for silver and Rp. 300m for bronze.

We wish all the Indonesian competitors the best of luck.