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Performance enhancement center helps RI athletes
It was a regular Monday morning at the office of Eminence, the Indonesian Sports Performance Enhancement Center (SPPOI), in Central Jakarta
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span>It was a regular Monday morning at the office of Eminence, the Indonesian Sports Performance Enhancement Center (SPPOI), in Central Jakarta.
The center, which was established in July, is the Youth and Sports Ministry’s business unit that caters not only to athletes but also the public in general.
Some attendees were seen working out using the gym facilities, from honing their endurance on the treadmill to building their muscles with weight training, inside the building that day.
However, for national tennis player Beatrice Gumulya, it was not the usual Monday gym time as she came to the center to undergo a thorough assessment, part of her preparations ahead of her participation in next month’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.
Beatrice, ranked 174th in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) doubles, laid out her left knee injury situation to Andi Kurniawan, a sports physician, prior to the assessment.
“During a tournament in China in May, I made an explosive movement on the court as I was originally squatting but then suddenly standing up. Right after that, I felt that my left knee had lost its power,” she told The Jakarta Post before the examination.
As the examination was about to start, Andi told Beatrice not to force herself during the VO2 max test, which is done to find out her maximal oxygen uptake during intense exercise. The test requires her to run on a treadmill at a gradually increasing speed. The doctor was concerned that if Beatrice forced herself it would be counterproductive to her recovery. Andi’s team began the test by measuring Beatrice’s height and weight, followed by respiratory checking.
The process continued with a screening for Beatrice’s ability in functional movement — by doing squats, hurdles and other exercises — which was required to study her core body stability and muscle stiffness, among other things.
“Through the functional movement screening, we can spot possible injuries. The result of the screening will determine suitable exercises for the athletes. Afterward, we will give the athletes the correct exercises to do,” said Andi.
The last assessment of the day for Beatrice was the VO2 max test.
Covered with sweat, Beatrice took a rest while consulting with Andi regarding her knee problem, which had shifted her focus onto playing doubles. Beatrice is usually a singles player.
“The result of the test will determine our preparation ahead of the SEA Games. So, if there are things that need to be improved, we can prepare more before the event,” she said, adding that she did such assessments at least once a year.
Besides providing fitness facilities for those who want to join the sports performance enhancement program, Eminence plays a role as the main center for athletes’ performance for all national teams heading to the Philippines Games. However, in general, several local sports federations have sent their athletes for performance-related treatments.
“The sports ministry has the National Sports Hospital in Cibubur, East Jakarta. But since the location is quite far from downtown, we have built a similar one located near Senayan [in Central Jakarta], which is easier for the athletes to reach,” Andi said.
He went on to say that Eminence was supported by a team of qualified young sports physicians in handling athletes’ problems.
Having been open for less than three months, not all sports federations in the country know about Eminence.
“There are some sports federations that have sent their athletes here to get treatment, whether for injury or recovery. Some of the national teams also have used the strength and conditioning facilities here for the upcoming SEA Games.
“We also focus on preparing athletes who have qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We examine them, [then] we design training programs so they can practice well. We also create injury prevention programs so they can avoid injury during preparation or games,” he added.
Sports expert Djoko Pekik Irianto of Yogyakarta State University said the country did not lack professionals focusing on sports performance enhancement programs, such as sports physicians, sports scientists and physiotherapists, because many local universities offered sports science and medicine programs.
