Follow me: National soccer team player Ahmad Bustomi demonstrates ball juggling during the launch of the Milo Football Championship in Jakarta on Wednesday
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The Milo Football Championship, a soccer competition among elementary school children, was officially launched in Jakarta on Wednesday with the Youth and Sports Ministry calling for solid collaboration among related institutions to produce a fruitful campaign.
'We appreciate Milo for initiating the tournament. That gives us pride, but there must be synergy with other institutions, such as national educational bodies and the PSSI [the Soccer Association of Indonesia],' Djoko Pekik Irianto, the ministry's sports achievement affairs chief, said during the launching ceremony.
The event will be held in three cities, each featuring 1,300 participants from 32 elementary schools. The competition in Jakarta will run from Feb. 7 to 8 while Medan, North Sumatra; and Makassar, South Sulawesi; will host the event on Feb. 21-22 and March 28-29, respectively.
'We hope the organizers can expand the competition to more cities in the future,' Djoko said.
The organizers said the event aimed to find young soccer talent in the country.
'It is with great honor that we introduce the Milo Football Championship, a competition among primary school students with the objective of nurturing young talent in football,' PT Indonesia Nestle president director Rashid Qureshi said.
'For the first year, we will roll out the program in Jakarta, Medan and Makassar, and we are hoping to extend the program to reach more cities over the coming years,' he said. 'We hope our joint efforts will help contribute to the enhancement and regeneration of young Indonesian athletes in the future.'
Also present at launch ceremony were representatives from the Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry, the PSSI and national player Ahmad Bustomi.
A talent scouting team will choose the best players in respective positions, who will get the chance to participate in an exclusive 14-day training camp in Jakarta.
'The competition gives schoolchildren an opportunity to show their soccer skills and win places for the training camp in Jakarta,' program director Prawitya Soemardjo said.
The launch of competition comes against the backdrop of Indonesia's dismal soccer performance in international and regional competitions, with the latest low point being Indonesia's elimination from AFF Suzuki Cup at the hands of the Philippines.
Djoko expressed his expectation that the event would help reinvigorate national soccer development so Indonesia could improve its performance in international competitions.
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