Preparing Future Athletes a Priority

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Athletes splash through a puddle following a hurdle jump during the 2019 Athletics Championship men\'s 3,000-meter steeplechase final on 7 Aug. 2019 at Pakansari Stadium in Bogor, West Java. Eliaser Gamase of Riau won the race, after record-holder Atjong Tio Purwanto of East Java fell during the race to finish fourth.

BANJARMASIN, KOMPAS — Sustainable athlete development and preparing high-quality future generations of athletes are important in order to improve achievements in sports. The 36th National Sports Day, which falls on Sept. 9, must serve as an opportunity for everyone to prioritize the development of future generation of athletes.

The development of future athletes was a Youth and Sports Ministry evaluation point following the 2018 Asian Games, in which many medalists were senior athletes. The achievement gap between elite-class athletes and second-layer athletes was apparent in certain sports.

In athletics, for instance, Southeast Asia’s fastest runner Lalu Mohammad Zohri booked a time of 10.03 seconds in the 100-meter sprint, leaving a wide gap between him and other Indonesian runners. In the men’s 4x100-m relay run, no athlete has defeated the record of senior runner Fadlin, who retired after the 2018 Asian Games.

A similar condition can be seen in tennis and weightlifting. In tennis, young athletes have yet been able to follow in the footsteps on Christopher Rungkat, 29, who has joined the men’s doubles in the main draw of Grand Slam tournaments.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The Indonesian national football team practice on Monday (9/9/2019) at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta. Team Garuda faces Thailand on Tuesday (10/9/2019) in a Group G match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup-2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifier, after suffering a 3-2 defeat in its opening match against Malaysia last Thursday (5/9/2019).

Meanwhile, the skills of lifter Eko Yuli Irawan, 30, far exceeds that of younger lifters in his class. The gap was apparent when the world champion in the 61-kilogram class only needed one lift to win in the recent national championship held by the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI).

Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi cited the momentum of sports development in a 2019 National Sports Day commemoration in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Sunday (8/9/2019) evening. The commemoration’s theme, Let’s Exercise Wherever and Whenever, was chosen to encourage sports activities nationwide.

“The more exercise people do, the healthier, fitter and more productive they will be. Furthermore, sports will also encourage the emergence of a new generations of athletes,” Youth and Sports Ministry deputy of sports culture Raden Isnanta said.

The Indonesian Athletics Association (PASI) is among the national sports associations that often hold junior championships to seek potential athletes for the national training camp (Pelatnas). PASI chairman Bob Hasan said athletics’ lack of popularity was among the major obstacles in searching for potential future athletes.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The Indonesian national football team practice on Monday (9/9/2019) at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta. Team Garuda faces Thailand on Tuesday (10/9/2019) in a Group G match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup-2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifier, after suffering a 3-2 defeat in its opening match against Malaysia last Thursday (5/9/2019).

Focus on elite

PABBSI training and achievement division head Alamsyah Wijaya said sports development that was too focused on elite athletes and this would not be effective in creating a sustainable culture of achievement in the long term.

“There must be more talent searches, as well as national training camps and championships for junior athletes,” he said.

Alamsyah added that not all sports associations in Indonesia had athlete development plans that encompassed all levels of athletes. Not all national training camps for junior athletes are properly managed. Consequently, there is a lack of qualified young athletes to take over the roles of their seniors, like what happened to Eko Yuli Irawan.

Ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the discourse that Indonesia was experiencing a lifter emergency led PABBSI to hold a widespread talent search and development nationwide. Together with the Youth and Sports Ministry deputy of sports seeding, PABBSI has trained clubs and weightlifting development centers to ensure optimum athlete development in the past three years.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Players of the Indonesian national football team dribble during practice on Monday (9/9/2019) at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta. Team Garuda faces Thailand on Tuesday (10/9/2019) in a Group G match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup-2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifier, after suffering a 3-2 defeat in its opening match against Malaysia last Thursday (5/9/2019).

Furthermore, the Satria Remaja national championship for junior athletes is held annually. A number of junior lifters who won in the championship has been called to join the national training camp, including Windy Cantika Aisah (in the 49-kg class), expected to be lifter Sri Wahyuni’s successor; and Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (73-kg class), expected to be Triyatno’s successor.

“After the 2020 Olympics, Indonesia will have no strong lifter. This is a huge concern,” Alamsyah said.

(DRI/DNA/PDS/JUM)