SURI, an Indonesian wheelchair rugby athlete hopes that the sport can be given more attention by the government. In fact, he also shared his experience from zero to making the name of his homeland famous abroad.
Initially, he started being active in wheelchair rugby since 2018. Suri said the proudest moment in his career was during the tournament final in Singapore in 2019.
He said that the tournament was a friendly match involving three countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
“The first was when the final was in Singapore in 2019. So first we had a friendly tournament, but a national tournament. Because Singapore held it. So we were 3 months, the 3 months started from Indonesia. Indonesia, precisely in Palembang, Jakabaring, finished from Palembang, then we went to Malaysia, Malaysia in Ipoh, then the final was in Singapore,” said Suri, Friday (30/8)
After the accident that caused his condition, he expressed how happy he was to be able to compete abroad for Indonesia.
In fact, Suri only knows Malaysia because of her experience as an Indonesian Migrant Worker (TKI) in the neighboring country.
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In addition, Suri also felt proud because at that time they met the Canadian team who came to provide clinical training, even though they did not participate in the tournament.
“That was the most exciting and happiest moment for me. Because before the accident, I didn’t know about overseas. I only knew about overseas, namely Malaysia, because I was a migrant worker. I had participated in this wheelchair rugby tournament with BASF. I was happiest when I met the Canadian team in Singapore, but the Canadian team didn’t participate in the tournament, Canada came for the clinic cat, for the national games in the future,” Suri recalled.
Suri began his involvement in wheelchair rugby in 2018 and took a long break due to the Covid-19 pandemic before returning to action in 2021.
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He admitted that rugby in Indonesia, especially wheelchair rugby, is still less popular and development is facing various challenges.
Suri also complained about the lack of facilities for wheelchair rugby, including the design and manufacture of wheelchairs that were not suitable for the competition.
Suri also noted that support from the government is still lacking, which could affect the development of the sport at the local level.
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According to this man from Lombok, local competitions are very important to develop the potential of athletes throughout Indonesia.
Currently, local competitions are limited to several provinces, such as Bali and NTT. However, Suri hopes that the government can provide more support in the form of providing facilities, programs, and prizes to motivate and improve the quality of the competition.
When asked about rivalries at the international level, Suri said that Indonesia has great potential in Southeast Asia so according to him, it still does not have a significant rival in wheelchair rugby.
He believes that with better support and development from the government, the Indonesian national wheelchair rugby team will be able to compete with countries at the ASEAN and Asian levels.
On the other hand, Suri said the highest achievement the Indonesian national team had ever achieved was in 2014, namely Tapisa Jakarta.
“The highest achievement was in 2014, Tapisa Jakarta. There was no selection between provinces, so that was the first time it was opened in Bali, and it suddenly entered the ASEAN Games,” he said.
In connection with the ongoing 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Suri gave support to the athletes who are fighting in the event.
“To the Paralympic athletes. You’ve come this far, just give it your all, and we’re here to support you,” he said. (Z-12)
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