Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, utilized the global sports initiative event ‘Securing the Legacy: Debriefing from Paris 2024 for Future Major Sporting Events Marking’ at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to advocate for pencak silat as a cultural heritage of Indonesia. He emphasized the essence of pencak silat beyond martial arts, embodying values of discipline, resilience, and peace. Acknowledged by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, pencak silat instills practitioners with the ability to defend and protect while promoting harmony and peace.
Minister Dito underlined Indonesia’s perspective on pencak silat as a symbol of global resilience and the ongoing efforts to raise its international profile, including as a constituent of the Olympics. He asserted that sports, exemplified by pencak silat, signify security resilience principles that can contribute to nation-building, social cohesion, and conflict resolution. Indonesia is a proponent of the UN Office for Combating Terrorism’s Global Sports Programme, committing to leverage traditional and modern sports to empower youth and enhance resilience.
Reflections from the 2024 Paris Olympics shed light on the significance of robust security infrastructure and readiness for major sporting events. Minister Dito emphasized the necessity for innovative security frameworks, intelligence partnerships, and global collaborations to effectively address security challenges. Indonesia’s goals include fortifying public-private partnerships, elevating sports safety standards, and fostering international unity to combat violent extremism through sports.
President Prabowo Subianto’s aspiration to introduce pencak silat to the Olympics was highlighted, calling for support from all stakeholders. He stressed the importance of preserving pencak silat as Indonesia’s cultural heritage and striving for its inclusion in the Olympics. The endeavors to promote pencak silat echo Indonesia’s commitment to nurturing cooperation for peace and unity through sports. Indonesia’s dedication to promoting sports as a symbol of peace and resilience mirrors a collective endeavor to ensure a secure and inclusive global sporting environment.
