Minister Erick: National Police Sports Week a Movement to Popularise Sport

Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir has expressed appreciation for the National Police’s initiative in organising the 2026 Police Sports Week, viewing it not merely as a competition but as a public health movement. He stated that sport plays a strategic role in maintaining public health and has the potential to reduce future healthcare costs, making it essential to increase public participation in physical activity. “The Police Sports Week is about popularising sport. By getting the public to exercise, the context is also about maintaining their health and reducing healthcare costs,” Erick said on Sunday. To further expand sporting activities, he encouraged the expansion of car-free days to more regions, noting that the initiative currently only operates in 220 out of 514 cities. He views car-free days as a healthy public space that encourages people to be more active. National Police Deputy Chief Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo explained that the 2026 Police Sports Week was attended by 6,698 athletes competing across eight sports, including basketball, badminton, judo, shooting, indoor skydiving, tennis, taekwondo, and karate. He urged all athletes to compete with sportsmanship, courage, and honour, expressing hope that the event would not only be a competition but also a means to strengthen brotherhood and build national sporting achievement.