Inter-School Table Tennis Tournament Enlivens UMS 67th Anniversary

To celebrate its 67th Anniversary, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) held the Inter-school Table Tennis Tournament of Solo Raya on Wednesday (October 8) at the UMS Sports Hall (GOR). The event was part of a series of sports activities aimed at fostering sportsmanship, togetherness, and achievement among students.

The tournament took place in a lively and spirited atmosphere. Cheers from supporters filled the arena, boosting the enthusiasm of young athletes to perform their best. The competition featured two categories: the Under-15 (U-15) group with 45 participants and the Under-19 (U-19) group with 50 participants.

Henri Dwi Wahyudi, S.E., M.M., the committee chair, expressed appreciation for the participants’ enthusiasm.

“Although the tournament's main target was a Solo Raya table tennis tournament, participants also came from other regions such as Pacitan, Yogyakarta, Magelang, and Salatiga. In total, there were 95 athletes. This shows that students’ enthusiasm for table tennis is very high,” he said.

Henri added that the event was not only about winning but also served as a platform for nurturing young sports talents and strengthening the bonds between schools across Central Java and nearby regions.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Anton Agus Setyawan, S.E., M.Si., representing UMS leadership, emphasized that the tournament was expected to spark the emergence of talented young table tennis athletes from Surakarta.

“This is the first time UMS has organized an inter-school table tennis tournament. We hope this event can serve as a training ground while also promoting table tennis in Surakarta. Hopefully, this event will give rise to young athletes who will go on to compete at the national level,” he remarked, officially opening the tournament.

Through this event, he added, UMS reaffirms its commitment to continuously providing a healthy and inspiring competitive platform for the younger generation. The table tennis tournament serves as evidence that the spirit of sportsmanship, competition, and achievement is an integral part of UMS’s core values on its journey toward becoming a world-class university.

The tournament was held in collaboration with the Indonesian Table Tennis Association (PTMSI) to ensure professional standards in rules and match systems. Matches began in the morning and were scheduled to conclude with the final round by late afternoon.

One of the participants, Faaris Hilmy Saputra from SMP Khusus Olahraga Surakarta, expressed his enthusiasm for joining the competition.

“I’m very excited to take part in this tournament and optimistic that I can win. I’ve been training for more than a month, practicing 11 times a week. My hope is to win and make my school proud,” he said with great enthusiasm

Writer: Dwi Kurniadi

Editor: Fika Annisa Sholihah

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid