Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, showcased Indonesia’s cultural heritage by promoting pencak silat at the global sports initiative event ‘Securing the Legacy: Debriefing from Paris 2024 for Future Major Sporting Events Marking’ held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Pencak silat, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, embodies values of discipline, resilience, and peace, going beyond just martial arts. Minister Dito highlighted how this traditional Indonesian martial art instills practitioners with skills to defend and promote harmony and peace.
Indonesia sees pencak silat as a symbol of global resilience and aims to promote it internationally, including as a potential part of the Olympics. Minister Dito believes that sports like pencak silat can foster nation-building, social cohesion, and conflict resolution while reflecting principles of security resilience. Indonesia is committed to utilizing traditional and modern sports to empower youth and enhance resilience, in line with the UN Office for Combating Terrorism’s Global Sports Programme.
Drawing from lessons of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Minister Dito emphasized the importance of robust security infrastructure and preparedness for major sporting events. He stressed the need for innovative security frameworks, intelligence collaboration, and global partnerships to effectively manage security challenges. Indonesia is working to strengthen public-private partnerships, improve sports safety standards, and promote international cooperation to counter violent extremism through sports.
President Prabowo Subianto’s vision to include pencak silat in the Olympics was underscored, inviting support from all stakeholders to preserve Indonesia’s cultural heritage. The efforts to promote pencak silat align with Indonesia’s commitment to using sports as a channel for peace and unity. Indonesia’s dedication to fostering collaboration for peace and unity through sports echoes the shared goal of ensuring a safe and inclusive sporting environment globally.
