The Passion of Young Athletes

For young athletes, debuting at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games is a dream come true. They nurture their optimism and set their eyes on gold amid the 2019 SEA Games’ chaotic management.

ANTARA/SIGID KURNIAWAN

Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee Raja Sapta Oktohari (sixth left) accompanied by chairman of the Indonesian contingent Harry Citizens (third left) and the men\'s water polo national team players hold a celebration at the New Clark City Aquatic Center, the Philippines (29/11/2019). Indonesia won the first gold medal of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after beating Malaysia 14-7 and Singapore played a 6-6 draw against the Philippines.

MANILA, KOMPAS – Indonesia’s first gold from men’s water polo at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines has boosted the spirit of the country’s athletes, especially the young ones, to aim higher. The first gold from men’s water polo since Indonesia first participated in the SEA Games in 1977 serves as a capstone in the achievement of the “Red and White” contingent, half of which are junior athletes.

The men’s water polo gold was a new milestone for Indonesia. Under Serbian coach Milos Sakovic, Indonesia’s male water polo athletes ended Singapore’s domination after its 27 consecutive golds from 1965 to 2017.

“This is the result of solid teamwork. The team was built almost three years ago after we recruited Milos [in January 2017]. Not only have the techniques and skills improved but the team members have also bonded better,” Indonesian Swimming Association (PRSI) deputy chair Harlin E. Rahardjo said on Friday (29/11/2019).

This is the result of solid teamwork.

The water polo team’s achievement was a source of extra motivation for other Red and White athletes. Indonesia sent 841 athletes to compete in 52 sports, with 50-50 composition of junior and senior athletes.

For young athletes under 20 years old, debuting at the SEA Games made them nervous and worried. However, they remained passionate to give their best for the nation. Among them were young tennis players and SEA Games debutants Priska Madelyn Nugroho, 16; Arie Fahrezi Al Gifahri, 17; and Rifqi Fitriadi, 20.

Together with senior players Christopher “Christo” Rungkat, Anthony Susanto and David Susanto, the youngsters participated in final preparations ahead of the SEA Games at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Centre in Manila on Friday.

KOMPAS/DENTY PIAWAI NASTITIE

Indonesian tennis team players cool down after training at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, Manila, Friday (29/11/2019). Even though the construction of the arena and supporting facilities has not been fully completed, Indonesian athletes showed high optimism to compete at the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Rifqi said he felt proud to represent Indonesia at the 2019 SEA Games. The graduate of the Raguna Sports School will compete in men’s singles and men’s doubles, pairing up with Arie for the latter. “I am ready to give my best. I have this fiery spirit,” he said. “On a scale of 0 to 100, my motivation is at 110. I am highly motivated,” Rifqi said.

Young lifters under 18 years old who will debut in the SEA Games also show their enthusiasm. The young athletes, often nicknamed “The Dream Team”, pledged to give their best to follow in the footsteps of their seniors, including SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympic medalist Eko Yuli Irawan.

I am ready to give my best. I have this fiery spirit.

In the 2019 SEA Games, the weightlifting team sends 10 athletes, six of which are young lifters under 18 years old.

They are Windy Cantika Aisah (49-kg class), Juliana Klarisa (55 kg), Putri Aulia Andriani (59 kg), Bernadicta Babela Mei Study (64 kg), Tsabitha Alfiah Ramadani (71 kg) and Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (73 kg).

Putri Aulia said that she could not believe that she was able to join the national training camp (Pelatnas) and compete at the SEA Games. “When I was still training in my home region, many friends dreamed of training at the Pelatnas. I cannot believe I achieved this [participating in the Pelatnas] and get to compete at the SEA Games,” said that 17-year-old athlete before departing to the Philippines.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

The Philippine Arena, the opening ceremony venue of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Friday. The opening of the 30th SEA Games will be held on Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time. As of Friday, no preparations had been made in the arena. However, officials there claimed they had prepared in advance. The stage was still under construction for the opening ceremony, which is expected to be attended by 55,000 people.

Indonesian athletes are keeping their spirits high at the Games amid competition arenas’ that are less than ideal. On Friday, several arenas in the Rizal Memorial sports complex were still in disarray. There were still trucks carrying construction materials around the sports complex. Officers were still cleaning excess soil and construction materials scattered around the arena.

At the tennis court, officers were still putting up the backdrop, installing the separator lines between courts and other support facilities, such as toilets. A number of security officers banned journalists from taking photos and videos of the arena.

National men’s tennis team coach Febi Widhianto said that the Indonesian team would not be disrupted by the less-than-perfect arenas. “We just try to enjoy this. When you are playing in a other people’s country, you are bound to find uncomfortable things. As athletes, we must be ready to fight. The show must go on no matter what,” said that former national tennis player.

Philippines’ gamble

Regarding preparations for the 2019 SEA Games’ opening, the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) has promised a stunning celebration. “We are quite disappointed that there have been many doubts and bad press regarding the organization of this year’s SEA Games. However, we will prove in the opening ceremony. We will hold the best opening ceremony compared to previous SEA Games or even Asian Games,” Phisgoc Chief Operating Officer Ramon Suzara told a press conference broadcasted live by CNN Philippines from Clark on Friday.

KOMPAS/DENTY PIAWAI NASTITIE

Indonesian water polo player Ridjkie Mulia tries to throw the ball in the Indonesian water polo match against Thailand at the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The match took place in New Clark City on Wednesday (27/11/2019).

The 2019 SEA Games opening ceremony is a gamble for the Philippines in terms of its image as host. A number of problems, including athletes’ transportation and accommodation, as well as arenas’ unfinished preparations, have painted a negative image of the country.

Unsurprisingly, Physgoc has been going all out in preparing the opening ceremony at the Philippine Arena this Saturday (30/11) at 7 p.m. local time. As reported by Rappler on Thursday (28/11), Phisgoc is collaborating with Fivecurrent, an entertainment company with experience in organizing opening ceremonies for global multisport events, such as the Asian Games. Local celebrities, artists and performers have also been tapped to perform.

Suzara said the opening ceremony would display a mixture of theatrical and musical arts, with sophisticated digital and lighting technologies.

However, the organizers’ enthusiasm was countered by field conditions that could disrupt the Games, such as traffic jams. The 30-kilometer journey from Manila to the Philippine Arena in Santa Maria, Bulacan, can take three hours.

“Traffic jams are common in our country. This is much better as we are nearing the weekend. If we are here on busy hours on workdays, such as from Monday to Thursday, the traffic jams can be longer,” taxi driver Boy told Kompas.