Purwokerto, the City of Opportunities to Build a Foundation of Love for Badminton from a Young Age

The effort to instill a love for badminton from an early age continues to be intensified thru the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026 held at Sasana Krida GOR Satria Purwokerto, Thursday (30/4). A total of 480 elementary school students from grades 1-3 from 16 schools participated in the badminton-themed competition initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation, sponsored by MilkLife in collaboration with the Central Java Provincial PBSI. The city of Purwokerto opened the series of the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026, which will also be held in four other cities in Central Java, namely Magelang (September 24), Solo (October 1), Semarang (October 28), and Kudus (October 31–November 1).

Program Director of the Djarum Foundation's Bakti Olahraga, Yoppy Rosimin, revealed that the organization of the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026 is a commitment to instill the values of sportsmanship while also building a foundation of love for badminton from an early age. Thru games designed to be fun and interactive, it is believed to pave the way for a structured and systematic athlete development process, which will eventually become one of the driving forces behind the regeneration of Indonesia's top badminton players.

"Through the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026, we want to provide an enjoyable experience while also motivating students to pursue badminton. We believe that great and accomplished athletes start from the joy of engaging in a sport. Thus, it is hoped that Indonesia will have a new generation of competitive badminton athletes who will make the nation proud," said Yoppy.

The Vise Chairperson of the Central Java PBSI Provincial Board, Yuni Kartika, appreciated the enthusiasm of the students and schools that participated in the badminton tournament. Yuni emphasized the importance of consistently building the foundation of the badminton ecosystem from the grassroots level. This will have a significant impact on achievements at the higher levels, so the broader the base of participant involvement, the more aligned it will be with the emergence of outstanding talents.

"Starting from a city like Purwokerto, we are seeing an expansion of coaching reach to areas that have not been optimally touched before." This consistency is important because the introduction of sports from an early age cannot be done instantly; it requires continuity so that interest can grow into talent, and talent can develop into achievement. From here, the coaching ecosystem becomes more structured, starting from introduction, basic training, to competitive levels," said Yuni.

Yuni added that with the positive enthusiasm from the participants of the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026, the Central Java PBSI Provincial Board will strengthen the advanced coaching pathways so that the athletes' potential can be accommodated and further developed. In the long term, this step can strengthen the athletes' performance pathways toward provincial, national, and international levels.

"This includes mapping the potential of early-age athletes, improving the quality of coaches in the regions, and strengthening clubs as training centers." In addition, we will also encourage more tiered competitions so that interested participants have space to develop and measure their abilities. Collaboration with schools and local clubs will also be continuously enhanced so that the training can run sustainably," explained Yuni.

The Head of the Physical Education Teacher Working Group (KKG) PJOK Banyumas Regency, Pujiono S.Pd, appreciates the introduction of badminton with this fun concept. According to him, all steps in the regeneration of badminton athletes must be well-maintained from early childhood to professional levels. "PJOK teachers in Banyumas Regency support the introduction process thru the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026." Undeniably, the achievements of Indonesian badminton players must be continued by the next generation. Thus, introduction and coaching become very important to follow up on the regeneration of athletes at both the regional and provincial levels. Of course, this serves as a motivation for us to continue encouraging students to develop their talents with the club," said Puji.

The organization of the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026 implements an individual system with winner assessment based on the fastest time record for each category. In the 3rd-grade category, participants must complete five types of challenges: Pyramid Shuttlecock, Shuttle Run, Throwing The Shuttlecock, Service to Target, and Zig Zag Run. Meanwhile, for participants in the 1st and 2nd-grade categories, the Service to Target challenge is omitted from the five races.

Each school sends 6 first-grade students consisting of 4 boys and 2 girls. For second grade, there are 10 participants from each school with a composition of 6 boys and 4 girls. In the third-grade category, each school sends 14 students consisting of 8 boys and 6 girls.

Spirit to Be the Fastest

The love for badminton shines thru Gita Felicia, a 3rd-grade student at SDN 1 Karangpucung, who recorded the fastest time of 01:00.73 in the girls' category. In the previous edition, Gita was able to finish in third place. That added motivation for Gita to train even harder with her father, who is also a badminton player. "I have liked badminton since I was young, often playing with friends in front of the house." During the SenengMinton Festival 2025, I received a racket as a prize for coming in third place. That was my first racket, and it motivated me to practice even more. Then this time I proved the results of my training by becoming the champion. After this, I will train more seriously. "I hope to become a reliable athlete later," said Gita.

School support is also a strong factor in the spread of the positive badminton sports virus. The physical education teacher at SDIT Harapan Bunda Purwokerto, Gito Sugeng Ridhono, who continuously supports his students from the sidelines, shared that his school is actively promoting badminton thru extracurricular activities and even has its own court facilities. He hopes that badminton competitions and tournaments can be held continuously so that they can accommodate the talents of the students.

"With the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026, we are helped because it serves as a platform for students to learn basic badminton skills, which we hope will increase their love for this sport." So that potential talents can be identified and further developed. Hopefully, thru this event, our school can carve out victories in the badminton championship, which is why we are also very serious about preparing the athletes who will compete in this event," said Gito.

The winners of the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026 in each competition received trophies, development funds, and prizes from sponsors including MilkLife, Dua Kelinci, Aice, Hundred, and Savoria products. In addition, all participants and teachers who took part also received goodie bags from the sponsors.

Here is the list of winners of the MilkLife Festival SenengMinton 2026 in Purwokerto (participant's name - school name - time record):

1st Grade Boys
Champion : Rafaesyza Falah Alfarezi - SDN 1 Sokanegara - 00:42.88
Runner-up : Arzan Ghiffari Widiyanto - SDI Darul Falah Tambak - 00:43.42
Semifinalist : Zafier Nadief Farzana - SDN 1 Sokanegara - 00:44.10

1st Grade Girls
Champion : Hani Pertiwi Efendi - SDN 1 Karangpucung - 00:46.07
Runner-up : Hanifah Fathiatur Rahma - SDN 4 Kranji - 00:47.44
Semifinalist : Hanifah Nur Sabiya - SDN 1 Patikraja - 00:47.77

2nd Grade Boys
Champion : Muhammad Gibran Ramadhan - SDN 1 Patikraja - 00:40.72
Runner-up : Abdurrahman Fawwaz Kurniadi - SDI Darul Falah Tambak - 00:43.36
Semifinalist : Evano Rayyan Alfarezel - SDN 1 Purwokerto Wetan - 00:43.61

2nd Grade Girls
Champion : Kirana Sasi Fidelisa Waluyo - SDN 1 Klahang - 00:43.48
Runner-up : Kalula Shaqueena Elyoena - SDIT Harapan Bunda Purwokerto - 00:44.58
Semifinalist : Attaya Sabira Fajrin - SDN 1 Karangpucung - 00:45.57

3rd Grade Boys
Champion : Muhammad Abid Al Khalifi - SDIT Harapan Bunda Purwokerto - 00:56.01
Runner-up : Alfazain Adam Diandra - SDN 1 Patikraja - 00:59.60
Semifinalist : Ariendra Elsi Musyaffa - SDI Darul Falah Tambak - 01:00.00

3rd Grade Girls
Champion : Gita Felicia - SDN 1 Karangpucung - 01:00.73
Runner-up : Syakilla Adistya Alzahra - SDN 1 Klahang - 01:04.69
Semifinalist : Keinnara El Zhafira Shanum - SDN 1 Kranji - 01:05.19