IOAC 2024: Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Taufik Hidayat opened the event to select Indonesia’s future swimming athletes.

Jakarta, VIVA – The 6th Indonesian Open Swimming Championships (IOAC) 2024 will officially start from November 21 to 24, 2024 at the Gelora Bung Karno Aquatic Stadium, Senayan, Jakarta.

The event stands out for being one of the most important swimming competitions in Indonesia, in addition to being an important incentive to attract talented swimmers from all over the country.

Vice Minister of Youth and Sports

The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Tofiq Hidayat, officially opened this championship on Friday, November 22, 2024.

In his speech, the Indonesian badminton legend emphasized the importance of training athletes from a young age to produce a generation of athletes who can participate in national and international swimming competitions.

“In the future, swimmers will be born from these types of events. But it is worth remembering that the development of an athlete does not occur instantly. “This is a long process and requires special attention to its development,” Taufik told the media after the inauguration ceremony.

Participants and participating athletes

900 swimmers from 176 Indonesian swimming clubs participated in this championship. Not only young athletes participated in this event, but also several big names from the Indonesian swimming world.

Athletes like Joe Aditya, Jason Donovan Yusuf, Jeremy Elyon and Ibrahim Faqih made the competition even more lively in the men’s competition. Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Delia Chantika, Angel Gabriel Yus, Azzahra Permatahani, Fleren Candrea and Patricia Yosita had tough competition.

This championship is open to various age groups from 11 to 19 years old and up. In addition to being a prestigious event, IOAC 2024 will also act as a national competition to train athletes who will compete in the SEA 2024 age group in Thailand next December.

Qualifying event for international competitions.

Vice President of the Indonesian Aquatic Sports Federation Harlin Rahardjo said that IOAC 2024 will not only function as a competition event, but will also be the first qualifying stage to form the Indonesian National Swimming Team for the 2025 Maritime Games. .

“IOAC 2024 is an important first step in the selection of athletes for the SEA age group and future SEA Games. “Many talented athletes have emerged from this event and we hope that this competition will continue to support the development of aquatics sports in Indonesia,” Harlin said.

Sponsorship support for the development of athletes.

This championship is fully supported by sponsors including PT Bank Central Asia (BCA).

BCA Vice President Hendra Lembong expressed her company’s commitment to supporting the development of national swimming.

“We are proud to support the 2024 Indonesian Open Water Championships. This support is part of our commitment to the development of the swimming industry in Indonesia. “We believe there is a lot of potential to compete internationally,” Hendra said.

He also hopes that this contribution will encourage Indonesian swimmers to continue improving their skills and make the country proud in various international competitions.

Increasingly fierce competition

To date, a total of 176 clubs have participated, of which 98 have won medals. The intense competition between athletes shows the quality of the IOAC 2024 competition as an important event to improve the skills and mental competence of Indonesian swimmers.

With the great enthusiasm of participants, organizers and sponsors, IOAC 2024 will be a valuable boost for swimming achievements, confirming Indonesia as a country that is serious about the development of aquatic sports.