Sumatra Creates New Hope for Badminton Thru 15 Young Athletes Who Earned Super Tickets

A total of 15 young athletes received Super Tickets on the final day of the PB Djarum 2026 Audition held at GOR Angkasa, Pekanbaru, Riau, on Sunday (12/7). There are six Super Ticket recipients from the tournament pathway and nine young badminton players selected by the Talent Scouting Team who received additional Super Tickets. They will continue their journey in the quarantine stage, which will take place over four weeks in Kudus from September 14 to October 9, 2026.

The Program Director of the Djarum Foundation's Sports Charity, who is also the Chairman of PB Djarum, Yoppy Rosimin, appreciated the successful organization of the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition in Pekanbaru, both in terms of execution and the quality of the participants. During the six days of the event, young athletes from various regions in Sumatra Island demonstrated technical skills, fighting spirit, and competitive mentality, which are important assets for advancing to higher levels. According to Yoppy, the emergence of several potential athletes in Pekanbaru is good news for the regeneration process of Indonesian badminton. He hopes that regions in Sumatra Island will continue to produce more quality talents who can compete at the national to international level. Yoppy also reminded that achieving the Super Ticket is not the finish line, but rather the beginning of a long journey that demands hard work, discipline, and consistency to become a successful athlete.

"The General Audition of PB Djarum 2026 held in Pekanbaru went well." From the island of Sumatra, quality athletes are emerging who will later uphold the chain of Indonesian badminton. Thank you to all the young badminton players for their hard work during the auditions, and congratulations to all the athletes who have successfully obtained the Super Ticket. Don't be too quick to be satisfied because the journey to becoming a great athlete is still very long. For participants who have not yet succeeded, do not give up, keep training and developing because there is still an opportunity to participate in the next auditions in Makassar and Kudus," said Yoppy.

The Head of the Talent Scouting Team for the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition, Sigit Budiarto, stated that the Talent Scouting Team successfully identified the talents expected to emerge from the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Pekanbaru. One of the interesting highlights that caught the attention of the talent scouts was the discovery of several left-handed badminton players with promising potential. For PB Djarum, the diversity of techniques and regional backgrounds of the participants shows that the Indonesian badminton ecosystem is increasingly developing and widely attracting the younger generation, which is very important for the sustainability of national athlete regeneration.

"We successfully discovered great potentials, most of whom are from Sumatra, including several left-handed athletes, which is certainly very interesting for us." The PB Djarum General Audition indeed seems to be increasingly popular, and we hope that the PB Djarum General Audition can grow even bigger in the future. The goal is certainly to ensure that the regeneration of Indonesian badminton continues and its sports ecosystem remains well-maintained. Out of the 15 selected participants, all of them meet the expectations of the talent scouting team. After this, they will enter the quarantine stage in Kudus, joining participants from Makassar and Kudus to be trained for four weeks," explained Sigit.

One of the Super Ticket recipients from the tournament path is Jayden Octave Tiolando from Siak, Riau, who managed to secure a victory of 21-14, 21-18 in the final match of the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Pekanbaru against Nathan Alfariqi Aldyhara in the boys' U-11 category. Jayden showed a tough mentality even when facing an opponent with a taller stature. Having fallen behind at the beginning of the match due to a lack of focus, Jayden managed to bounce back after following the coach's instructions to change the game strategy. He proved that tactical intelligence and composure on the field could neutralize the opponent's physical advantage and power.

"I'm very happy and touched to have successfully obtained the Super Ticket in Pekanbaru." From the beginning, my desire was to join PB Djarum because the facilities are very good, and I am confident I can pursue my dream of becoming a world-class player with this club. "My opponent is taller and stronger, so the strategy had to involve more drop shots, smashes, and netting," said Jayden.

Meanwhile, in the U-11 girls' sector, the Super Ticket was successfully claimed by Chelsea Amanda from Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, after defeating Rayya Aufa Tanjung in the final match with a score of 21-15, 21-13. For the athlete from PB Indocafe Medan, this victory was not a coincidence because she has competed quite frequently in various events, including the 2025 Provincial Championship in Medan. Even tho she won, she remained critical of her own performance, noting that she still needed to improve her foot reaction speed, especially when retrieving balls at the net.

"In the final match earlier, I felt my game was quite good. I also often face Rayya, maybe five times already. However, I feel there is still something lacking, especially my foot reaction which needs to be faster to retrieve balls at the front of the court," Chelsea.

The success of earning the Super Ticket brings Chelsea a new challenge, namely a four-week quarantine stage in Kudus. He expressed his readiness to learn independently and his determination to become a PB Djarum athlete who will one day become a world champion, "I am ready to train harder in badminton even tho I have to be far from Papa and Mama. My target is to keep moving forward, to become a PB Djarum athlete, and someday realize the dream of becoming an international-class athlete," he said with hope.

Super Ticket is not only given to the tournament path champions in the U-11, KU-11, and KU-12 categories for both boys and girls. The PB Djarum Talent Scouting Team also awarded Super Tickets to nine selected talented young athletes who demonstrated great perseverance during the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition in Pekanbaru. Bellvania Safistika Sheila Mahaeswari was one of the recipients of the additional Super Ticket. The athlete, affectionately known as Bibel, demonstrated excellent technique and fighting spirit, which led Liliyana Natsir and the other female talent scouts to give her the opportunity to undergo training with PB Djarum.

"Bibel didn't expect to get the Super Ticket, even tho he had already lost in the quarter-finals." Bibel is also ready to undergo quarantine with PB Djarum even tho he has to stay far from Mama and Papa. Bibel promises to work hard and keep praying because he wants to become an athlete who brings honor to Indonesia," said the 8-year-old badminton player.

From the U-11 boys' sector, Ray Ethan Jourell was the only representative from Jambi to secure an Additional Super Ticket. His resilience and never-give-up attitude during the matches were the keys to his success, even tho his journey ended in the semifinals of the tournament after losing three games with scores of 24-22, 14-21, 18-21 to Muhammad Azka Al-Fatih. "I was a bit disappointed because I couldn't become the champion at the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition - Pekanbaru." But now, I am excited again because I received an Extra Super Ticket from the Talent Scouts Team. This means I still have a chance to become a PB Djarum athlete. "I will train harder and do my best," said the talent who idolizes Kevin Sanjaya.

Here is the list of Super Ticket recipients from both the tournament path and the Talent Scouting Team's selection, along with their city and club origins:

Super Ticket Tournament Round:

U-11 Girls

Chelsea Amanda - Deli Serdang, North Sumatra (PB Indocafe Medan)

U-11 Girls

Iffa Hamda Sakhia - Siak, Riau (Permata Perawang Siak)

KU-12 Girls

Naura Khaira Raya Kharisma - Bekasi, West Java (Global Pratama)

U-11 Boys

Muhammad Azka Al-Fatih - Binjai, North Sumatra (PB Samudera Binjai)

U-11 Boys

Jayden Octave Tiolando - Siak, Riau (PB Fantasi Siak)

KU-12 Boys

Muhammad Naufal Hanafi - Padangsidimpuan, North Sumatra (Exos, PDGSIDEMPUAN)

Super Ticket for Additional Round:

U-11 Girls

1. Rayya Aufa Tanjung - Deli Serdang, North Sumatra (PB Angsapura Medan)
2. Bellvania Safistika Sheila Mahaeswari - Riau, Pekanbaru (Jelang Fajar Badminton Class, Riau)

U-11 Girls

1. Jessy Liberty - Padang, West Sumatra (New Binatama)
2. Errencia Clarista - Tangerang City, Banten (Jenna Gozali Badminton Club)

U-11 Boys

1. Ray Ethan Juorell - Jambi (PB Speed Jambi)
2. Azka Putra Kesuma - Padang, West Sumatra (PB Semen Padang)

U-11 Girls 

1. Nathan Alfariqi Aldyhara - Riau, Pekanbaru (Pratama Club Riau)

U-12 Boys

1. Muhammad Ahsan Pradipta - Tanjung Pinang, Riau (PB Gajah Emas)
2. Alvaro Wiryawan Andito - Riau, Pekanbaru (Angkasa Prestasi Gemilang)

The journey of the PB Djarum 2026 General Audition will continue to Sulawesi Island, specifically in the city of Makassar in August 2026. Young badminton players will test their skills at GOR Dafest. Online registration is open until July 28, 2026, at 11:59 PM WIB, followed by re-registration on August 4 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM WIB, before entering the selection stage from August 5 to 9, 2026.

It's time to show your best quality and take a step closer to the dream of becoming part of PB Djarum. Follow the latest updates about the PB Djarum 2025 General Audition on the website pbdjarum.org, and on social media Instagram and TikTok @pbdjarumofficial and YouTube @pbdjarum-official.