Indonesia Emerges as Overall Champion in The 31st ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) in Bangkok

Thepresidentpost.id - Bangkok, Thailand - Indonesia secured 4 trophies, 10 gold medals, 9 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals at The 31st ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) held in Bangkok (16-25/11). The ten gold medals were obtained from 3 individual competition golds, 4 team competition golds, and 3 golds in the team exhibition. The competition featured 200 shooters from 10 Southeast Asian countries: Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The contested branches included Rifle, Carbine, Automatic Rifle, Men's Pistol, and Women's Pistol.

In the individual competition, notable success was achieved in the Men's Pistol category, where Indonesia swept all three medals contested by the 40 shooters. Additionally, the Women's Pistol category also achieved impressive results with 1 gold and 1 silver. In the Rifle category, Indonesia added to its medal tally with 1 gold and 1 bronze.

With these results, Indonesia solidified its position as the Overall Champion, displacing Vietnam, the defending champion from the previous year. Meanwhile, Vietnam closely followed in the 2nd position with 1 trophy, 10 golds, 7 silvers, and 7 bronzes. Following Vietnam is the Philippines in 3rd place with 1 trophy, 10 golds, 6 silvers, and 7 bronzes. Subsequently, in consecutive order, are Myanmar, Laos, the host country Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Singapore. These results were achieved after all branches were completed on November 24, 2023.

AARM is an annual shooting competition among ASEAN Army forces. In the 31st AARM, Indonesia sent 45 participants, comprising its best Army soldiers, and 2 support staff from PT. Pindad. Prior to the competition, the Indonesian National Military Army soldiers underwent specially designed training programs tailored to the competition's requirements. To support the smooth running of the competition, the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok facilitated the team through assistance from the Defense Attaché and staff, as well as managing flight clearance and manifests to ensure the team, equipment, and members safely arrived in Bangkok and returned to Jakarta.

Overall, Indonesia has proven itself as the hegemon among ASEAN countries by becoming the Overall Champion 14 times in the 31 editions of AARM held since 1991. Indonesia's victory in the 31st AARM also makes history and dispels the myth that Indonesia never wins when AARM is held in Thailand. Previously, Indonesia had never won the Champion title in the four instances when Thailand hosted AARM in 1993, 2001, 2007, and 2015.