Vice President Gibran Gives Advice to Papua Football Athletes who are Training in Austria

JAKARTA - Vice President (Wapres) Gibran Rakabuming Raka gave advice to a number of Papua Football Academy (PFA) football athletes who will undergo training camp (training camp/TC) in Austria.

Vice President Gibran explained that the advice was given directly to a number of young Papua football athletes in a meeting at the Vice President's Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, February 11.

Three young athletes from the Papua Football Academy will undergo training and selection for three weeks in Austria with local football clubs.

"Mr. Vice President said that children should be proud of (the name) Indonesia, be proud of the family, make a good contribution to football and Indonesian society. This is a very good opportunity for them," said Papua Football Academy Director Wolfgang Pikal explaining the content of the advice given by Gibran to athletes reported by ANTARA, Thursday, February 12.

Then, one of the members of the PFA who will undergo the Elite Camp Austria training center, Dovi Theofilus Salossa, admitted that he was happy to meet directly with Vice President Gibran before he left for Austria.

"In the room, we chatted with the Vice President. It was nice to meet. The message is, we must be enthusiastic, focused, and continue to learn," said Dolvi.

At the same meeting, the athlete representatives handed over jackets and balls to Vice President Gibran to be signed, which they said was a symbol of support and prayer. On the other hand, the Vice President also gave shoes to the young athletes.

After the meeting, Director of PT Garuda Gemah Nusantara Rizky Aidi, whose company is the manager of the Papua Football Academy, explained that the training program for young football athletes in Papua aims to capture talent and potential, especially from the eastern region of Indonesia.

Rizky explained that the PFA's operations have been fully supported by Freeport Indonesia since 2022.

"Talents from the east are not inferior in competition. The opportunity to be in Austria for three weeks with these three clubs is a momentum for them to show their abilities and open up career opportunities," said Rizky Aidi.

Meanwhile, the Vice President's Secretariat in its official broadcast explained that the Vice President's meeting with the PFA young athletes was a follow-up to President Prabowo's vision of Astacita, especially in strengthening and developing superior human resources, as well as equalizing opportunities for the younger generation throughout Indonesia.

"The government encourages talents from regions, including Papua, to have access to adequate training, facilities, and international networks as part of the transformation towards a Golden Indonesia 2045," said the official statement from the Vice President's Secretariat.