The facilities at the ASIOP Training Ground, the venue for the Garuda International Cup (GIC) 2024, have left a strong impression on the Japanese representatives.
Tokyo Purple, one of the teams from Japan participating in the U-12 category of GIC 2024, is making its debut in this tournament.
Tokyo Purple is grouped in Group D along with Diklat Merden, ASIOP Biru, and NFDP. They have successfully won their matches against these competitors.
After securing a spot in the quarterfinals, Tokyo Purple’s coach, Kotaro Imamura, expressed his admiration for the facilities at the GIC 2024 venue.
The GIC 2024 is being held at the ASIOP Training Ground in Bogor, which has been deemed comfortable for participating teams from other countries, including Tokyo Purple.
“I think it’s very comfortable, very accommodating, very cool,” said Kotaro Imamura in an interview with the media on Friday (August 23, 2024).
Despite this being the team’s first appearance at GIC, the coach has set high goals for Tokyo Purple, aiming for the championship.
“Of course, we want to win (GIC 2024). But beyond that, we are gaining experience and improving the players’ skills,” Kotaro Imamura stated.
However, he acknowledged that the competition in this tournament is quite fierce, making it challenging to achieve their goal of becoming champions.
“The competition here is pretty intense. Even though this is our first time here, we want to be the winners,” added Kotaro Imamura.
On Friday (August 23, 2024), Tokyo Purple played two matches, winning both with scores of 2-1 against NFDP (Malaysia) and 6-0 against Diklat Merden (Indonesia).
“The kids have worked hard to win, so we are definitely happy to celebrate,” said Kotaro Imamura.
The GIC 2024 has been underway since August 22, 2024, featuring teams from eight countries: Indonesia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Singapore.
This year marks the fourth edition of the tournament, following previous events in 2015, 2022, and 2023, and it coincides with the celebration of Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day.