JAKARTA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- At the upcoming South East Asia Games in the Philippines in 2019, Indonesia will only compete in sports where the country has a good chance of winning medals, a government official disclosed here on Tuesday.

The statement came two days after the host country announced that it will stage a total of 56 sports during the sub-regional event.

The Secretary of the Indonesian Youth and Sport Ministry, Gatot Dewa Broto, said that Indonesia has a tradition of competing in all the sports staged at the Games, but financial pressures have led to a different direction being taken.

"[Participation) will be in the sports in which the country's athletes have a great opportunity to pick up medals," he said.

Broto asserted that the ministry has encouraged athletes to achieve at the regional level. "The SEA Games is important but we support the athletes more to compete in the Olympics," he added.