Ice hockey is one of the less familiar sports in Indonesia, but this team sport is quite prestigious at the world level. A student from the Tourism Study Program, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI), Sangga Munggaran Putra, who is a member of the ice hockey club, Batavia Demons, won a gold medal in the annual 2022 Movenpick Land of Smiles Ice Hockey Classic Tournament. in Bangkok, Thailand.
The final match between the Batavia Demons and Slovakia Tatra Eagle, an ice hockey club from Europe that previously won the tournament in Slovakia, was fierce. During the final, both of them had a score of 4-4 in the third round, so they were given extra time 3v3. The Batavia Demons team managed to beat their opponents on goals fifth at once made them win the tournament. “This championship made a moving impression on us. After two years of being hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, we can finally make Indonesia proud on the international stage,” said Sangga.
Before successfully going through various rounds to qualify for the final, Sangga and his team had gone through a series of preparations and selections. They made it through the selection carried out by the Indonesian National Team for three months with intensive training. Then every month, the athletes will be selected which ends with the selection of 15 players and 2 goalkeepers.
“By coincidence, I played for two teams, namely the Indonesian National Team which has now changed its name to Black and White and the Batavia Demons Team. Especially for the tournament which will be held on 1-5 November 2022, the Federation has prepared a portion and form of training that is different from usual and has a fairly tough level of training,” said Sangga. He continued to explain that the Batavia Demons Team is a team that has dominated tournaments in Southeast Asia, with Asian star players and 50% of the Indonesian National Team. He continued to explain that the Batavia Demons Team is a team that has dominated tournaments in Southeast Asia, with Asian star players and 50% of the Indonesian National Team. Thanks to regular and routine practice and competition between clubs, the Batavia Demons Team also won the CityVision Indonesia Ice Hockey League 2022 which was held on 2 June – 27 October 2022.
Sangga occupies the position of goalkeeper at the Batavia Demons. He has been an ice hockey athlete since 2017 and is still active in this field. According to him, playing ice hockey is a different sport because it has very fast movements and substitutions. He also hopes to win other tournaments at a higher level. Sangga added, “Apart from my busy life as an athlete, of course, I don’t forget my obligations as a student. I have to be able to do good time management so that the two can go hand in hand. Every day after attending lectures until 4 pm, I go straight home and rest. Then I join a training routine that starts at 7 to 10 p.m..”
Responding to the achievements of his students, the Director of the UI Vocational Education Program, Padang Wicaksono, S.E., Ph.D, expressed his appreciation for Sangga’s achievements. “Sangga’s international achievements are truly encouraging. In addition to the academic field, achievements can also be obtained through sports competitions like this. Of course, the value is also very large because Sangga not only carries and represents the name UI, but also Indonesia. UI Vocational Studies continues to support students to excel in various fields, both academic and non-academic,” said Padang.
Sangga, together with the Batavia Demons team, will return to take part in the prestigious tournament in Southeast Asia, the Scotiabank Ice Dragons Classic Singapore in February 2023. He hopes that in the future through the admission of new students through achievement in the field of sports, the University of Indonesia will have many talented and expert players/athletes in this field. “For UI athlete friends, keep up the enthusiasm to make your alma mater proud because UI has become the best university in Indonesia in terms of academics, and it would be better if it becomes the best in non-academic terms such as sports & esport. For Indonesia, I hope that support from the government is very important to advance sports in Indonesia,” he said.
