2024-09-14 00:48:33
The atmosphere of the 2022 PB Djarum general audition at the Djarum Jati Sports Hall, Kudus. Photo: PB Djarum
jpnn.comKUDUS – The 2024 PB Djarum general audition series will roll from Tuesday, September 10 to Saturday, September 14 at the Djarum Jati Sports Hall, Kudus, Central Java.
Different from previous years, the process of searching for future badminton athletes initiated by Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and PB Djarum is targeting three age categories, namely U-11, KU11 and KU12 for both boys and girls.
No less than 1,966 young badminton players registered to take part in the selection process. They came from various regions in the country, such as Sumatra 63 participants, Kalimantan 53 participants, Central Java 1,242 participants, West Java 188 participants, East Java 203 participants, Bali 9 participants, Sulawesi 32 participants, and Papua 19 participants. They are ready to achieve their dreams of getting the Djarum Badminton Scholarship and joining the PB Djarum club.
Program Director of Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation who is also the Chairman of PB Djarum, Yoppy Rosimin appreciated the high enthusiasm of participants from Sumatra to Papua which increased drastically compared to last year’s 1,529 participants. He said, this positive trend shows that the flame of regeneration of Indonesian badminton athletes is still burning.
“This number could be the highest since we held the General Audition centered in one city, Kudus. This great enthusiasm is certainly not only a source of pride for PB Djarum, but also indicates that the chain of regeneration of Indonesian athletes is still maintained. Therefore, we hope that thousands of participants will be able to show their best abilities during the General Audition series,” said Yoppy during a press conference at the Djarum Jati Sports Hall, Kudus, Central Java, Wednesday (11/9).
Yoppy added, every year, the General Audition always innovates to get the best athletes. One of the differences is the age category, which in the previous implementation only targeted U-11 and U-13, this year the scheme was made more specific and targeted three age categories, namely U-11, KU11 and KU12. This aims so that participants can meet opponents who are equal based on age and with the same quality of playing technique and mentality.
“This age grouping is indeed unfamiliar for the badminton athlete selection process in general. But we have always been pioneers. It doesn’t mean we want to be different from others, but we consider fairness and the results of discussions with participants and coaches. With this breakthrough, participants can compete with opponents of the same age and quality that are not much different,” added Yoppy.
Meanwhile, the Head of the PB Djarum 2024 General Audition Talent Search Team, Sigit Budiarto said that in addition to the age category, another innovation is the scheme in the screening phase. In last year’s General Audition, participants were given 5-10 minutes to steal the attention of the talent search team and legends, in order to qualify for the tournament round.
The 2024 PB Djarum general audition series will run from Tuesday, September 10 to Saturday, September 14 at the Djarum Jati Sports Hall, Kudus, Central Java.