Indonesian Archery Team Requests Early Departure to Asian Games 2026 for Venue Adaptation

The Indonesian archery team has submitted a request to travel to Japan earlier than scheduled for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. The move is intended to give athletes adequate time to acclimatise and test the official competition field before the event begins. Irawadi Hanafi, Secretary-General of the Indonesian Archery Association (PB Perpani), explained that the archery squad is scheduled to compete on 25 September, but the contingent’s initial departure plan was set for just two days prior, even though the official training venue in Japan will be accessible from 22 and 23 September. ‘So we are requesting to depart on the 22nd,’ Irawadi stated during a visit from the Indonesian Chef de Mission for the Asian Games at the Gelora Bung Karno Archery Field in Jakarta on Tuesday (21/7). Beyond the travel schedule, Irawadi also proposed adding one support staff member specifically as a masseur to maintain athlete fitness. He noted the need is pressing given the considerable distances expected between accommodation, training venues, and recovery facilities. ‘I would like to appeal to the CdM, we are only allocated 10 athletes and four coaches, but we are not given a single support staff member, and what we need is a masseur,’ he said. PB Perpani also specifically requested that athletes not be housed on a cruise ship, should such an option be provided. Based on evaluations from previous events, staying on a cruise ship was deemed less than ideal and could potentially disrupt the athletes’ physical recovery process. The Indonesian archery team is approaching the Asian Games with high confidence after emerging as overall champions at the SEA Games, securing six gold and two bronze medals. Due to quota restrictions, one male athlete was dropped following an internal selection process, finalising the contingent at 10 athletes and four coaches. Irawadi noted that the team is targeting an improved performance compared to the previous Asian Games, where they won two bronze medals in Guangzhou, China, despite current preparations facing budget efficiency constraints. ‘We want to improve that to a silver, and this has been reviewed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. But at that time, there were no efficiency issues,’ he said, adding that the team will maximise its existing preparations to achieve the best possible results. The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to take place from 19 September to 4 October.