Long-term national training camp key to producing world champion weightlifters

Jakarta (ANTARA) - General Chairman of the Executive Board of the All-Indonesia Weightlifting Association (PB PABSI) Rosan Perkasa Roeslani stated that long-term national training camps supported by government funding are the key to producing world champion athletes. “We believe that sporting achievement is not built in a matter of months, but through a multi-year process that requires programme certainty and sustainable support,” Rosan said in an official statement from the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Jakarta on Monday. Budget support for the long-term national training camp has been confirmed by Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir after meeting with President Prabowo in Hambalang on Friday (19/6). Rosan welcomed the policy as a strategic government move to ensure the preparation of high-achieving athletes at the world level continues. According to him, the step aligns with PB PABSI’s coaching system since 2015, namely a continuous long-term national training camp through a centralised training system without sending athletes home. This system encompasses comprehensive athlete development, from youth and junior levels through to senior level. He said that from the age of 14-15, athletes must already be trained centrally with a comprehensive approach covering training, nutrition, mental development, and ongoing sports science support. Rosan said that with the right policy support, sustainable coaching, and collaboration among all stakeholders, Indonesia has a great opportunity to improve sporting achievement and produce many world champions. He supported the idea of developing a Sports Academy as part of efforts to expand athlete development from primary school level. According to him, the earlier athlete potential is discovered and nurtured, the greater Indonesia’s chance of producing a generation of athletes capable of competing at the SEA Games, Asian Games, and Olympics. “Indonesia has extraordinary talent. The challenge is ensuring they receive proper, sustainable, and measurable coaching from the start,” he said. Rosan assessed that President Prabowo Subianto’s attention to the development of disability sports is also an important step in building a more inclusive and equitable sports ecosystem.