The 2025 SEA Games are just a month away, but the strength of the Indonesian contingent is still unknown.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — With less than a month to go until the SEA Games in Thailand 2025, scheduled for December 9-20, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has yet to confirm the strength of the Indonesian contingent and the potential for medal acquisition. The ministry has stated that it is still reviewing the sports disciplines that have conducted national training camps.

The Deputy for Sports Achievement Enhancement of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Surono, stated that as of Wednesday (29/10/2025), there have been 35 sports branches that have undergone review. This final assessment involves a team of experts, sports practitioners, as well as representatives from KONI and KOI.

Of the 35 sports that have been reviewed, 12 of them are priority sports such as weightlifting, rock climbing, athletics, and aquatics. Additionally, two other priority sports, namely artistic gymnastics and karate, are included in the 17 sports that will still be reviewed until the deadline of October 31, 2025.

"Therefore, it cannot be concluded yet how many potential medals can be obtained, as we are still continuing to review and coordinate with the national sports federations that are conducting the training camps to ensure that the final results are comprehensive," said Surono, Wednesday (29/10/2025) afternoon.

The potential for medal acquisition that has yet to be concluded aligns with the uncertainty regarding the strength of the Indonesian contingent. This means that ambiguity still looms, at least until the review process is completed at the end of October.

Surono claims that the review process is progressing positively, serving as an important asset for the Ministry of Youth and Sports in mapping out the direction of performance development. He also hopes that the target of maintaining a top three position in the final medal tally can be achieved.

In September, the review team had actually completed its task by evaluating 52 sports branches projected to participate in the 2025 SEA Games. "Based on the review results, it is estimated that the Indonesian contingent will consist of around 1,110 athletes and 440 coaches," said Yunyun, as quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

"We emphasize strict selection so that the athletes sent truly have the opportunity to win medals, not only at the SEA Games but also sustainably through the Asian Games and the Olympics," said the Professor of Sports Coaching in Volleyball at the Faculty of Sports Education and Health at UPI.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports conducted a review after Minister Erick Thohir stated on October 16, 2025, that Indonesia could send a total of 700-800 athletes. However, Erick has not yet been able to specify the exact number of the Indonesian contingent and clarify which sports and which athletes will compete.

According to Erick Thohir, that certainty will depend on the results of the evaluation and review together. What is certain, said Erick, is that the government hopes all parties are committed to prioritizing athletes who truly have medal potential so that they can achieve at least a third-place ranking again.

On the other hand, Erick also assessed that the minimum target of finishing in the top three will be difficult to achieve due to the loss of 41 potential medals in the upcoming Thailand event. Currently, only about 78 potential gold medals have been detected, whereas to secure a top three position, Indonesia must obtain at least 82 gold medals.

Thailand's potential 41 gold medals previously lost came from wushu (4 gold medals), cycling (5 gold medals), e-sports (2 gold medals), wrestling (2 gold medals), and artistic gymnastics (2 gold medals) in Cambodia. However, Thailand has the potential for an additional 32 gold medals from sports including rowing (4 gold medals), canoeing (5 gold medals), archery (3 gold medals), shooting (7 gold medals), woodball (3 gold medals), and sport climbing (4 gold medals).

"We want to ensure that this target allows us to at least rank third again. However, based on the current reality, that is not possible. This means we must work together to arrange our targets as transparently as possible," said Erick.

If Indonesia is indeed going to send a total of 700-800 athletes to Thailand, this number will represent the largest "Merah Putih" contingent since the 2019 Philippines SEA Games. After the Philippines, the Indonesian contingent has not even reached 600 athletes. This is because, starting from the 2021 Vietnam edition, the SEA Games is no longer a top priority or merely an intermediate target.

The main priority is the Olympics, a global multi-sport event. As a result, only 499 athletes from 31 sports were sent to Vietnam, a decrease of 43.4 percent from 841 athletes from 52 sports during the edition in the Philippines. For Cambodia 2023, Indonesia will be represented by 599 athletes across 31 sports.