16 Athletes Who Earned Super Tickets Continue Their Hopes to the Quarantine Stage

A total of 16 athletes successfully secured Super Tickets at the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Makassar, which took place at GOR Dafest Makassar, South Sulawesi from August 4 to 8. They consist of six tournament path athletes and 10 athletes selected by the talent scouting team. After that, the athletes will undergo a four-week quarantine at GOR Djarum Jati, Kudus, Central Java, to compete for the Djarum Badminton Scholarship from the Djarum Foundation Sports Charity.

The Head of the Talent Scouting Team for the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition, Sigit Budiarto, appreciated the efforts of the 233 participants who took part in the selection series in Makassar. He advised the Super Ticket recipients not to be complacent with this achievement, as the athletes still have to undergo a quarantine phase that will start from September 14 to October 9. During this phase, there will be two eliminations, on September 28 and October 10, before officially joining the PB Djarum club.

"We, the talent scouting team, are quite impressed with the playing character of the athletes at the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Makassar." Many of them already have good basic skills and quite a few have even participated in auditions before. However, we must choose the best according to the needs of PB Djarum. We congratulate the Super Ticket recipients, and for those who have not succeeded, don't be disheartened. There are still other opportunities, keep training diligently and #KeepTheChampionSpiritAlive," she stated at GOR Dafest Makassar, South Sulawesi, Saturday (8/8).

Liliyana Natsir, who has been monitoring the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition in Makassar since the first day, stated that the female athletes participating in the selection have quite promising potential. The badminton legend born in Manado, North Sulawesi, assessed that the majority of the participants have relatively tall stature and striking power, which are important assets for developing at a higher level.

"If we look at the female athletes in Makassar, I see many who have tall stature and quite good power." This certainly serves as a good starting point, although there is still a need to hone their technique, consistency, and playing ability in order to develop further," said the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic gold medalist alongside Tontowi Ahmad.

Liliyana is also grateful that the PB Djarum General Audition is back outside Java Island, thus opening up broader opportunities for talents from the regions to receive quality training. "Because opportunities like this are very important to pave the way for athletes from the regions." "Hopefully, the presence of this audition can motivate athletes, coaches, and parents to continue improving the quality of training so that more talents from Sulawesi can develop into accomplished badminton players," she added.

Meanwhile, Tontowi Ahmad observed the fighting spirit and courage of the participants in showcasing their best abilities as one of the positive aspects he found while monitoring the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Makassar. According to him, the process of becoming a professional badminton player is not only determined by technical skills but also by the willingness to keep learning, discipline, and the mental strength to face match pressure.

"From what I saw during the auditions, many children have the spirit and courage to compete." That's important, because the journey to becoming a professional athlete is not just about having good technique. They must have the willingness to keep learning, be disciplined in training, and most importantly, not give up easily when facing difficulties," explained Tontowi.

Owi, as he is commonly called, hopes that the Super Ticket recipients can take advantage of the quarantine stage to show their best development. "I have been in their position and know that the process toward achievement is long. So for the Super Ticket recipients, don't feel like it's over after passing thru Makassar." "Instead, this is the beginning to prove that you deserve the opportunity and continue to develop at PB Djarum," concluded the BWF World Champion in 2013 and 2017 alongside Liliyana Natsir.

One of the athletes who successfully earned a Super Ticket thru the tournament route from the U12 Boys category is Muhammad Abidzar Alghifari. In the final match, the player from PB Terpadu Balikpapan secured a convincing victory in two straight games against the Minahasa representative, Geralldy Mananggel. In the first game before the interval, Abidzar faced tough resistance. However, he bounced back by showcasing his best game and won 21-15. In the second game, Abidzar's dominance became even more unstoppable, and he secured the championship title with a score of 21-7.

"My opponent in the final played quite well, especially in the first game. After the break, I started to heat up and was able to win. In the second game, my opponent made many mistakes, so I won by a considerable margin," said Abidzar, who idolizes the Indonesian badminton legend who has won three world titles, Mohammad Ahsan.

Winning the Super Ticket at the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition and undergoing quarantine in Kudus marks Abidzar's third success. Previously, Abidzar's struggle to join the PB Djarum athletes was reaching the second quarantine stage in 2024 and 2025. Never giving up, he hopes that his dream of becoming a PB Djarum athlete can come true this year.

"I am very happy to have received the Super Ticket as the champion in the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition in Makassar and will undergo quarantine for the third time." The last two years I haven't been accepted due to height, stamina, and power issues. "But becoming an athlete for PB Djarum has been my dream since I was 7 years old, and I hope to achieve it this year," he said.

Meanwhile, one of the athletes who received the Super Ticket chosen by the Talent Scouting Team of the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Makassar is Nur Hidayah. The athlete trained by PB Yanti Jaya Makassar had to settle for finishing as the runner-up in the KU 12 category. Although he lost in the final match, the performance of the athlete affectionately known as Iya managed to capture the attention of badminton legends and coaches from PB Djarum, earning him a Super Ticket selection and advancing to the quarantine stage in Kudus. For Iya, this result marks an improvement in his achievements from his previous efforts in the PB Djarum General Audition when his journey was halted in the tournament phase.

"I didn't expect to get the Super Ticket from the talent scouts." Actually, I lost in the final earlier because my concentration wavered in the second and third games after I had a lead in the first game. Passing to the quarantine stage is my first success because in 2022 I failed at the tournament stage. "I will work hard in the quarantine stage so that I can be accepted as an athlete at PB Djarum," said the winner of 3rd place in the HYDROPLUS National Circuit (Sirnas) B Central Sulawesi (Sulteng) 2026 in the U-13 Girls' Singles and U-13 Girls' Doubles categories.

Here is the list of Super Ticket recipients from both the tournament route and the talent scout team's selection, along with their city and club of origin:

Super Ticket Tournament Path

• U-11 Girls: Arachely Sabila Kinga - Gorontalo, Gorontalo (Billionaires Gorontalo)
• U-11 Girls: Andi Nahwah Khaliqah - Makassar, South Sulawesi (PB Champion Makassar)
• U-12 Girls: Kresensia Lembayung Ubung Mering - Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (Champion Klaten)
• U-11 Boys: Muh. Nur Rizki Ismail - Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi (PB Indojaya Kendari)
• U-11 Boys: Russel Junior Sumual - North Minahasa, North Sulawesi (PB Talenta)
• U-12 Boys: Muhammad Abidzar Alghifari - Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (PB Terpadu)

Super Ticket Selected by the Talent Scouting Team

U-11 Girls

1. Balqis Maharani S - Makassar, South Sulawesi (Karsa Mandiri Makassar)

 

U-11 Girls

1. Kartika Madelynne Tambahani - Minahasa, North Sulawesi (Manguni Badminton Club)

U-12 Girls

1. Nadine Serenity Maweru Runtu - Makassar, South Sulawesi (PB Avanti)
2. Ainiyah Farah Dai - Gorontalo, Gorontalo (Pelatkot Gorontalo)
3. Nur Hidayah - Makassar, South Sulawesi (PB Yanti Jaya Makassar)

U-11 Boys

1. Mickael Desman Pekey - Jayapura, Papua (Jayawijaya Badminton Club)
2. JJ Miguel Ongels - Ambon, Maluku (PB Micky)

U-11 Boys

1. Kean Alfa Y Warankiran - Makassar, South Sulawesi (PB Tiga Berlian Makassar)

KU 12 Men's Singles

1. Muh. Faiz Athallah - Makassar, South Sulawesi (PB Ukhuwah Makassar)
2. Geralldy Mananggel - North Minahasa, North Sulawesi (PB Talenta)

Running from August 4 to 8, the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Makassar was attended by 233 participants from 73 cities/regencies, including Banten, D.I Yogyakarta, West Java, North Sumatra, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, and Papua. After Pekanbaru (July 7 - 12, 2026) and Makassar, the PB Djarum General Audition will be held in Kudus on September 8 - 13. Follow the latest updates about the PB Djarum General Audition on the website pbdjarum.org, and on social media Instagram and TikTok @pbdjarumofficial, and YouTube @pbdjarum-official.