Kotabaru targets top three in 2019 Popda

The Kotabaru contingent for 2019 Provincial Student Sports Week (Popda). (Antaranews Kalsel/special/imm)

We expect the top three. Last year the big four, even with excessive optimism, because our athletes are new,

Kotabaru, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Kotabaru contingent is targeting the top three in the 2019 Provincial Student Sports Week (Popda) .

Head of the Kotabaru Youth and Sports Agency Taufik Rivani said on Sunday the dispatched students were mostly new athletes, but he remained optimistic that the achievements could be better than the previous year.

"We expect the top three. Last year the big four, even with excessive optimism, because our athletes are new," he said.

He also considered this event as a test for the athlete cadre carried out in each sport.

In this year's Popda Kotabaru deployed one hundred athletes aged 18 and under to compete in nine out of ten sports, namely athletics, rowing, wrestling, swimming, karate, taekwondo, boxing and sand volleyball.

"We usually master martial arts sports, but we hope that in other sports too, such as swimming is quite promising, the athletes who were brought to Porprov yesterday," continued Taufik.

Popda South Kalimantan in 2019 will take place in April 1-5 in Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru.