Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s next president, attends the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Games on July 26, in this image posted to his Instagram account @prabowo on Saturday. (Instagram/@prabowo)
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efense Minister Prabowo Subianto attended the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday in a show of support for the Indonesian contingent, as the country hopes for several medal wins from the 29 athletes competing in 12 sports, the highest number in the past two decades.
In a photo uploaded to his official Instagram account @prabowo, the 72-year-old minister and incoming president is seen wearing a translucent rain poncho with the hood down and appears to be looking toward a seating section in a tribune, the iconic Eiffel Tower standing tall in the background against overcast skies in the French capital.
Fourteen athletes and officials from the Indonesian contingent participated in the Parade of Nations during the 2024 Summer Games opening ceremony, including chef de mission Anindya Novyan Bakrie and judoka Maryam March Maharani, who served as Indonesia’s flag bearer.
The Indonesian contingent’s Java-themed uniforms were created by Prabowo’s designer son Ragowo “Didit” Hediprasetyo Djojohadikusumo, who made his international debut in Paris over a decade ago and was reportedly inspired by the clothing style of renowned 19th-century painter Raden Saleh.
The Indonesian participants shared a boat with members of the Indian and Iranian contingents to sail down the River Seine in the opening ceremony, which departed from the traditional Olympic openers on land.
In a video uploaded to the Defense Ministry’s YouTube channel Kemhan RI (@kemhan) on Saturday, Prabowo stands and waves to the Indonesian contingent as its boat sails near the tribune where he is seated.
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir and Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) chief Raja Sapta Oktohari also attended the opening ceremony on Friday, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry on Saturday.