Young athletes need sustained competition to develop, AHY says

Young athletes need more than a single tournament to develop, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said at a volleyball event in East Jakarta. The Democratic Party chairman argued that students need regular training and competition to sharpen their skills and gain match experience.

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We want to continue seeking the best athletic talent from various sources.

The tournament at the Otista Youth Center involved eight clubs, with some participants still in high school. Yudhoyono said competitions could help identify talented athletes while also building sportsmanship, discipline, enthusiasm and friendship.

He urged the event’s organizers not to treat the tournament as a one-off activity. Sustained development, he said, would require support from the central government, Jakarta’s provincial government and other stakeholders. He linked sports development to broader human-resource development, saying national development involved more than physical infrastructure.

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Sport is such a good medium for creating spirit, strong enthusiasm, positive energy and fair competition.

PBV Paja One won the tournament. Yudhoyono also proposed gathering the best players into an All Stars team and arranging a match against LavAni, the club developed by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said the experience would help the players progress.

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Hopefully, the best players from this AHY Cup can be gathered into an All Stars team and play against LavAni so they can gain valuable experience.

Mujiyono, chairman of the Jakarta Democratic Party council, said the tournament brought athletes from different parts of Jakarta together in interclub competition. He described it as a symbol of unity, with players competing seriously on the court while remaining friends after the match.

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The AHY Cup is a symbol of togetherness. On the field, the athletes compete seriously, but after the match they remain brothers and sisters.