Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, attended a global sports initiative event called ‘Securing the Legacy: Debriefing from Paris 2024 for Future Major Sporting Events Marking’ at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. During the event, he took the opportunity to promote pencak silat as a cultural heritage of Indonesia, highlighting its values of discipline, resilience, and peace. Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, pencak silat not only teaches self-defense but also fosters harmony and peace among practitioners.
Minister Dito stressed Indonesia’s commitment to promoting pencak silat as a symbol of global resilience and expressed the country’s aspiration to introduce it internationally, potentially as part of the Olympics. He believes that sports, particularly pencak silat, embody principles of security resilience and can contribute to nation-building, social cohesion, and conflict resolution. Indonesia is actively involved in the UN Office for Combating Terrorism’s Global Sports Programme, utilizing traditional and modern sports to empower youth and enhance resilience.
Furthermore, Minister Dito highlighted the lessons learned from the 2024 Paris Olympics, emphasizing the importance of robust security infrastructure and preparedness for major sporting events. He underscored the need for innovative security frameworks, intelligence cooperation, and global partnerships to effectively manage security challenges. Indonesia is focused on strengthening public-private partnerships, improving sports safety standards, and fostering international collaboration to combat violent extremism through sports.
The article also mentioned President Prabowo Subianto’s vision to bring pencak silat to the Olympics and called for support from all stakeholders. He underscored the significance of preserving pencak silat as Indonesia’s cultural heritage and advocated for its inclusion in the Olympics. These efforts are in line with Indonesia’s commitment to promoting collaboration for peace and unity through sports. By championing sports as a symbol of peace and resilience, Indonesia aims to create a safe and inclusive sporting environment globally.
