Jayapura, Jubi – Papua’s women’s woodball team saw its campaign at the 2026 National Woodball Championship come to an end in the quarterfinals after competing in Jakarta from July 6 to 10.
The tournament, held at Lapangan Banteng, also served as Indonesia’s selection event for the 2026 Woodball World Cup in Perlis, Malaysia.
Papua was represented by only two female athletes.
“Papua’s women’s singles and doubles teams were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Lampung in the women’s doubles event,” Papua Woodball Association chair Daniel Womsiwor told Jubi in a message on Saturday (July 11).
Womsiwor said Indonesia’s domestic woodball competitions continue to be dominated by provinces on Java, particularly Banten, Central Java, East Java, and Lampung, while provinces such as Papua, the Riau Islands, and Aceh often send only small contingents because of the distance and limited resources.
“Although we only sent a small team, our athletes competed with great determination even if we were unable to achieve the results we had hoped for this time,” he said.
Womsiwor noted that Papua had not participated in several national competitions since the 2024 National Sports Week (PON) in Aceh and North Sumatra, resulting in nearly two years without competing at the national level.
He said the lack of regular participation had affected the team’s competitiveness, while traditional powerhouses from Java continued to dominate the sport.
According to Womsiwor, self-funded participation has also limited the team’s ability to compete at the highest level, with available funds covering only travel and accommodation.
Even so, he said attending the championship was essential for Papua to maintain its place among Indonesia’s top 10 woodball provinces.
Supported by the Jakarta provincial government, this year’s National Championship attracted a record 223 athletes from 16 provinces, competing in 14 elite events.
The tournament also featured youth divisions in the under-12, under-15, and under-18 categories as part of efforts to develop the next generation of Indonesian woodball athletes.
Indonesia Woodball Association (IWbA) president Aang Sunadji said the record participation reflected the sport’s growing popularity across the country.
He said the association waived participation fees to enable more provinces to send their strongest athletes, including junior competitors.
“We want to provide every athlete with an equal opportunity to demonstrate their best performance,” Aang said, as quoted by the Antara News Agency.
East Java finished as the overall champion of the 2026 National Woodball Championship with 10 gold, eight silver, and five bronze medals.
Woodball is a precision sport similar to golf, but the ball, mallet, and target gate are all made of wood. Originating in Taiwan, the objective is to pass the ball through a gate using the fewest possible strokes.
The sport was introduced in Papua by the Faculty of Sports Science at Cenderawasih University (Uncen) ahead of the 2021 National Sports Week hosted by Papua. (*)
