JAKARTA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian sports ministry has pledged to provide a huge bonus to the country's athletes competing in the upcoming Asian Games to encourage their performance during the event later this year.
The Indonesia Youth and Sport Ministry's Imam Nahrawi promised to give 1.5 billion rupiah (103,448 U.S. dollars) in bonuses to the athletes securing a gold medal during the world's second largest sporting event.
The minister reiterated that the country's goal is to finish among the top ten. Indonesia will send about 1,500 athletes and officials to the Games, saying that as the host nation, Indonesian athletes will participate in all 40 sports.
A total of 11,300 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees are looking to compete in the Games, according to the latest data provided by the Olympic Council of Asia.