The 2025 SEA Games in Thailand: A Stepping Stone for Young Rock Climbers

Unlike preparations for previous multi-sport events, the Indonesian national rock climbing training camp at the Santika Premier Hotel in Kota Harapan Indah, Bekasi, on Monday (December 1, 2025) was bustling. Speed, bouldering, and lead climbers; senior and junior climbers; Olympians and debutants alike; all trained that day.

Veddriq Leonardo, the gold medalist in speed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, also trains with juniors and his "classmates." They train with the same ultimate goal: reaching the Olympics.

However, to reach the highest multi-sport event in the world, Indonesian climbers undergo different stages. Young climbers are preparing to participate in the initial stage at the SEA Games in Thailand 2025. Meanwhile, more senior climbers are preparing for the Asian level, namely the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, and the qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

"We are fielding athletes whose average age is still young. The SEA Games serve as a crucible for them," said the head coach of the Indonesian climbing team, Hendra Basir.

The decision to reduce the majority of young athletes aims to provide them with competitive experience in multi-sport events. All the climbers who will compete are, in fact, debutants at the SEA Games. However, this does not mean they lack experience competing at the international level.

Some young athletes have even made their international debuts. Lead female athlete Alma Ariella Tsany (16), for example, competed in her first international competition at the 2024 Asian Youth Championships in India. She won a silver medal there.

However, according to Hendra, the atmosphere of a multi-sport event is different from that of a single event such as the Asian Championships. Young athletes still need the experience of tasting that atmosphere. On the other hand, the presence of senior athletes like Alfian Muhammad Fajri (28), who has experience in multi-sport events such as the Asian Games, is also necessary, thus they remain involved.

Moreover, based on the competition's technical regulations, each country is allowed to send a maximum of three athletes for each category: speed, lead, and boulder, consisting of senior and junior athletes. Indonesian rock climbing maximized this quota per country by sending a total of 18 athletes for the three men's and women's categories.

As long as I can give my best and ignore the ambition to win, I am optimistic that I can achieve maximum results too.

Hendra stated that the composition of the Indonesian climbing team, which is dominated by young players, is part of a successful regeneration process. As a result, there are many layers of strength that can be focused on various events.

Therefore, Hendra is not concerned about the issue of achievements. He believes that the young athletes can meet the target of 2-3 gold medals in Thailand.

With that layered strength, the competition within the Indonesian climbing team could become even more intense. It is not impossible that if the young athletes succeed at the SEA Games, they will become strong competitors to their seniors in vying for spots on the team for the Asian Games.

These young athletes are also part of the Indonesian climbing team's long-term plan. The ultimate goal is to achieve equal achievement across all events, not just speed, by the 2044 Olympics.

"The SEA Games is one of the stepping stones. Our young athletes have begun to transform. Four years ago, they were still juniors, and now they have become national team athletes. In the coming years, they will be the backbone of the national team," said Hendra.

"I have informed the 18 individuals who are departing that this is their first and last SEA Games. The choice is theirs; after the SEA Games, they can either advance to the next level or leave the national training camp because they are unable to develop," he stated again.

This paradigm is also embedded in the athletes who will compete. Speed climber Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi (18), for example, firmly stated that he views the SEA Games as a stepping stone to bigger events, namely the Asian Games and the Olympics.

Robby believes that the path to the Asian Games and the Olympics must begin at the most fundamental level, namely the SEA Games. He experienced a similar situation in the singles event, starting at the Asian Championships—albeit at the junior level—before attempting the World Cup series.

Due to this being a stepping stone, Robby wants to maximize it as a platform for proving himself as well as testing his abilities. However, the climber, who has shown rapid development over the past year by consistently climbing in under five seconds, continues to try to manage his mindset.

"As long as I can perform at my best and remain indifferent to the ambition of winning, I am optimistic that I can achieve maximum results as well. From previous experiences, feeling that the chances of winning are high and having a strong ambition to win actually disrupts concentration and ultimately leads to defeat," said Robby.

The SEA Games Thailand 2025 marks the return of rock climbing to the Southeast Asian sports festival after being absent for seven editions. This sport was last contested at the SEA Games Jakarta-Palembang 2011. At that time, Indonesia emerged as the overall champion, winning 9 gold medals and 5 silver medals.

There are no grand targets to reclaim the overall championship. The "minimalist" target of 2-3 gold medals is considered the most realistic, given that rock climbing in Thailand is also developing well. However, one thing is certain: the main objective is not to win as many medals as possible, but rather to see these climbers eventually reach the highest level.

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