Malaysian athletes have been entrusted to bring home at least seven gold medals from the 2018 Asian Games.

The medal target was announced on Friday by Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman during a Jalur Gemilang handover ceremony in Putrajaya, which saw Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad hand the flag to Abdul Azim Zabidi, Chef de Mission (CDM) of Malaysia's contingent to the 2018 Asian Games.

The flag was then handed over to karate exponent and official flag-bearer Syakilla Salny Jefry Krisnan.

Syed Saddiq also expressed his confidence in the national contingent winning up to 11 gold medals.

Malaysia's best performance was winning nine gold in 2010 in Guangzhou, China, while in the previous edition in Incheon, South Korea, they amassed five.

The 2018 Asian Games, taking place in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, will officially begin on August 18.