Jakarta, Dec. 5 -- President Prabowo Subianto said that competing on the international sports stage is a rare honor reserved for Indonesia's finest athletes.

He delivered the message while sending off the Indonesian contingent for the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand during an official ceremony at the State Palace here on Friday.

Prabowo reflected on his youth, recalling a time when he once dreamed of representing Indonesia in global sports.

"As a young man, I wondered whether I would ever have the chance to represent my country on the world stage, and today you have been given that honor," he said.

He noted that the dream never came true, even as he built a career that led him to become a general, chair a political party, and now serve as ...