Jakarta – Indonesian Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto attended a pencak silat martial arts exhibition in Paris, France, on Saturday (27/7) afternoon.

Prabowo’s presence in Paris underscores his commitment to globalizing pencak silat. As the Chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (PB IPSI) for the 2021-2025 term, Prabowo is determined to see this sport included in the Olympics.

During the event, Prabowo encouraged both national and international athletes after they showcased their skills.

Prabowo greeted each athlete individually and presented them with pins. The athletes hailed from regions such as West Java, Central Java, and even the Netherlands.

“Where are you from?” Prabowo asked a female athlete.

“West Java, Sir!” she replied.

“And you?” Prabowo asked a male athlete.

“Central Java…”

Prabowo also interacted with the foreign athletes.

“Where are you from?” Prabowo asked.

“Holland,” replied a male pencak silat athlete from the Netherlands.

“Also from Harlem,” added another athlete.

“Where exactly is that? In which city?” Prabowo asked.

“Groningen, north Holland,” the athlete answered.

“Oh, great. How old are you?” Prabowo continued.

“Eighteen,” said one athlete. “And I’m fifteen,” added another.

Prabowo was impressed by the dedication of a foreign athlete who trained despite an injury.

“What happened to your left arm?” Prabowo asked an athlete with a dislocated arm supported by a sling.

“I was training and dislocated my arm. But it’s healing now.”

“How old are you?” Prabowo asked.

“I’m sixteen.”

“Have you ever been to Indonesia? All of you?” Prabowo asked.

“No, I haven’t,” replied the athlete and several others.

“You haven’t? Well, you must go. We will arrange for you to come to Indonesia,” Prabowo said to the foreign pencak silat athletes.

Prabowo attended the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics in France. He was accompanied by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir, Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo, and Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) Raja Sapta Oktohari.