BANGKA – PT Timah Tbk collaborated with Double F Swimming Club to hold a swimming competition between Age Groups (KU) throughout Bangka Belitung.
The swimming championship entitled 'Belinyu Swimming Competition 2023' was held at the Ping Swimming Pool, Jalan Mantung, Belinyu District, Bangka Regency, Saturday (25/02/2023).
Belinyu sub-district head Lingga Pranata said PT Timah Tbk not only supports social activities in the community but also community sports.
According to him, this swimming competition is a series of promotions for the Belinyu District which is expected to become an annual agenda.
Not only that, this activity is expected to encourage Belinyu swimming athletes to continue practicing so they can excel. As well as being a place to look for the seeds of new swimming athletes.
"This is a form of PT Timah's presence in the Belinyu District, supporting the sports sector and other social fields. We are very grateful to PT Timah, which always supports activities in the Belinyu District," said Lingga.
He hopes that this competition can become a new opportunity for sports coaches to continue to develop athletes.
"In the past, Belinyu was very famous for having reliable athletes, such as football players, tennis, volleyball, and others. But now it has faded a bit, and God willing, we will revive it and this will be our goal. We hope that PT Timah will always be present and contribute to the community under any circumstances," he hoped.
The Chief Executive of the Belinyu Swimming Competition 2023 said the enthusiasm of the participants to take part in this event was relatively high, namely 158 participants from 12 swimming clubs in Bangka Belitung.
"Of course, this is beyond our expectations, because we are targeting around 80-90 participants. But it turned out to be more than that, almost double our target," he said.
In this competition, they opened three classes, namely KU 3, 4, and 5. He hopes that this activity will become a forum for athletes to train and excel.
"We once held an event like this, but it was a long time ago, around 2018. That's only in Belinyu District. And in 2023 we are trying to open it for all of Babylon, and alhamdulillah the enthusiasm is extraordinary. We hope this will become an annual agenda," he said.
The success of this event, said Dino, could not be separated from the support of MIND ID Mining Industry Holding members in supporting the implementation of this swimming competition.
"Alhamdulillah, PT Timah supports our activities. PT Timah is like a foster parent to us. In addition, the synergy that exists between the corporation and the community is going well. With an event like this, we hope to produce athletes at the provincial and national levels," he said.
Meanwhile, Ridho Zaidan (12), one of the athletes involved in the activity, said that he was very happy to be the second winner of KU 3.
"I am very happy that in this competition I can bring home a medal, and this is also an addition to my medal collection," he said.
He said that since he was 8 years old he has started to actively practice swimming. With the support of his parents, he continued to train.
"Hopefully PT Timah can hold activities like this more often," said the Pangkalpinang Middle School 1 student. (**)
