Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, leveraged 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 showcase pencak silat as a significant cultural heritage of Indonesia. Beyond its martial arts aspect, pencak silat embodies values of discipline, resilience, and peace. Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, this Indonesian martial art teaches practitioners the significance of defense and protection while promoting harmony and peace.
Minister Dito underscored Indonesia’s perspective on pencak silat as a symbol of global resilience and the ongoing efforts to raise its international recognition, potentially including it in the Olympic Games. He highlighted the role of sports, like pencak silat, in reflecting security resilience principles that contribute to nation-building, social cohesion, and conflict resolution. Indonesia’s support for the UN Office for Combating Terrorism’s Global Sports Programme demonstrates its commitment to leveraging traditional and modern sports in empowering youth and enhancing resilience.
The event also drew attention to the lessons learned from the 2024 Paris Olympics, stressing the importance of robust security infrastructure and preparedness for large-scale sporting events. Minister Dito emphasized the necessity of innovative security frameworks, intelligence cooperation, and global partnerships to effectively address security challenges. Indonesia aims to bolster public-private collaborations, elevate sports safety standards, and foster international unity in combating violent extremism through sports.
President Prabowo Subianto’s vision to introduce pencak silat to the Olympics was highlighted, calling for collective support. His emphasis on preserving pencak silat as Indonesia’s cultural legacy and striving for its inclusion in the Olympics aligns with the country’s commitment to promoting collaboration for peace and unity through sports. Indonesia’s dedication to positioning sports as a catalyst for peace and resilience echoes a shared goal of establishing a secure and inclusive global sporting environment.
