New York – The global sports initiative event ‘Securing the Legacy: Debriefing from Paris 2024 for Future Major Sporting Events Marking’ which took place at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, New York, United States, on Wednesday (5/3) morning local time was utilised by the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia (Menpora RI) Dito Ariotedjo to further introduce pencak silat to the world stage.
In his speech before delegates from various countries, the Minister emphasised that pencak silat is one of Indonesia’s greatest cultural heritages that is more than just a martial art. It is also a philosophy of life that reflects discipline, resilience, and peaceful values. In addition, pencak silat also acts as a tool in counteracting radicalism and strengthening social harmony at the global level.
‘Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, Pencak Silat teaches its practitioners to not only defend, but also protect. It is not only about physical skills, but also building harmony and maintaining peace,’ the Minister explained at the meeting organised by the Global Sports Programme of the UN Office for Combating Terrorism (UNOCT) in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of France to the UN.
Therefore, the Minister continued, Indonesia sees pencak silat as a global symbol of resilience. Therefore, Indonesia continues to strive to make pencak silat more widely known and recognised as part of the Olympics.
In line with the spirit of pencak silat, Menpora Dito stated that Indonesia believes that sports reflect the principle of security resilience. Sport can be a tool in nation-building and social cohesion and play a role in soft diplomacy and conflict resolution.
‘Sport can be used to rehabilitate communities in post-conflict situations. Last but not least, sports can also reflect the security readiness and resilience of a nation,’ he explained.
Menpora Dito also highlighted important lessons from the 2024 Paris Olympics, reminding us that major sporting events require strong security infrastructure and preparedness in the face of evolving security threats.
‘We must stay ahead of the curve with innovative security frameworks, cross-border intelligence collaboration, and strengthened global partnerships. France’s success in organising the 2024 Olympics demonstrates its capacity to detect threats early and effectively manage complex security challenges,’ said the Minister.
In this regard, Indonesia provides full support to the UNOCT Global Sports Programme. The Minister affirmed that Indonesia is committed to continue contributing to utilising traditional and modern sports, such as pencak silat, to increase resilience and empower youth.
Indonesia is also committed to strengthening public-private partnerships to ensure that major sports facilities and events meet the highest safety standards. In addition, Indonesia seeks to enhance international cooperation on sports safety by working more closely with global stakeholders.
‘We are proud to have co-organised a high-level seminar with UNOCT in Bali last October, where more than 200 stakeholders from government agencies, civil society and international sports federations came together to develop a concrete action plan for sports security and countering violent extremism through sport,’ said the Menpora.
As an individual with a passion for sports, Menpora Dito said he has witnessed first-hand how sports can inspire young people to dream bigger and work harder. Therefore, he emphasised the importance of ensuring that the world of sport remains a safe space free from the threat of violence and extremism.
‘We must continue to grow sport as a beacon of peace and resilience. Indonesia is committed to fostering meaningful collaboration in this area. We believe through joint efforts, the legacy of sport will remain a legacy of peace, of unity,’ concluded the Menpora.
This is in line with what President Prabowo Subianto has emphasised on several occasions, that he is determined to bring pencak silat to the world stage. ‘We want to bring pencak silat to the Olympics, for that we really need support from all parties. Little by little, pencak silat is being looked at, loved, studied by other nations,’ he said, as quoted from an article by fraksigerindra.id (17/12/2021).
Not only that, President Prabowo also emphasised the importance of maintaining pencak silat as the cultural heritage of the Indonesian nation. ‘So let us continue to protect one of Indonesia’s cultural heritages. Currently, we are also fighting so that pencak silat can be competed in the Olympics,’ Prabowo said, as quoted by Tempo (30/10/2024).
