The Jakarta Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) continues to be committed to improving the achievements and welfare of athletes.

To lead athletes to the world stage, they must have a strong foundation in terms of coaching

Efforts to improve athlete performance are carried out through optimal coaching, which aims to make Jakarta a national barometer and lead athletes to the world stage.

Jakarta KONI Chairman, Hidayat Humaid expressed regular coaching for athletes is a must for optimal achievements. It was not just ahead of the National Sports Week (PON) but conducted regularly and consistently.

"To lead athletes to the world stage, they must have a strong foundation in terms of coaching," he expressed, on the sidelines of a Press Gathering with the theme "Reflections on KONI Jakarta Activities 2022" at Jakarta KONI Building, Jalan Tanah Abang I, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (12/7).

To make glorious achievements, the KONI also made organizational reforms.

"Organizational development is essential. A good organization will certainly produce quality athletes," he explained.

To welcome the PON XXI in Sumut and Aceh in 2024, the Achievement Development Division (Binpres) conducted a Regional Training Center (Pelatda), including held athlete physical tests for tier 1 and 2 at Rawamangun Athletic Stadium, East Jakarta.

"All fields at KONI work together to optimize athlete development to achieve the best achievements," he explained.

KONI also commits to improving the welfare of sports actors, especially athletes and coaches. Hence, they urgently needed adequate funding support.

"Rp 270 billion was set already for KONI in 2023. There are more than 2,000 athletes in KONI, they are given an honorarium so they can focus on the sport they are involved in. Ideally, we need around Rp 470 billion in funding in 2023," he stressed.

He added KONI needs a lot of budget because of direct funding support from the provincial level. It was different from other provinces where funding sources also came from the district and city levels.

"Districts and cities in Jakarta are administrative, not autonomous regions. That is, there is no DPRD at the district and city level for the realization of grants," he concluded.

He added that the need for an athlete welfare cooperative had also been initiated through the Business and Fund Sector and the KONI Partnership Sector.

"We continue to look for alternative sources of funding to improve the welfare of athletes, including through Bapak Angkat program," he stated.