JAKARTA: (Bernama) Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has renewed calls for pencak silat to be included in the Olympic Games, expressing confidence that the traditional martial art will gain wider global recognition.
Prabowo, who also chairs Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI), acknowledged the challenges ahead and stressed the need for sustained efforts to promote the sport internationally.
“The journey is still long. We hope pencak silat will enter the Olympics. We are confident it will,” he said at the opening of the 16th National Congress of the IPSI on Saturday (April 11).
Meanwhile, the president apologised for not having succeeded in bringing pencak silat into the Olympics during his tenure as IPSI chairman and expressed hope that his successor would be able to achieve the goal.
Prabowo, who also announced that he would not seek re-election as IPSI chairman, stressed that the pursuit of Olympic inclusion should not be overemphasised, and that priority should remain on preserving the purity and quality of pencak silat. – Bernama