Minister for Youth and Sports continues to rally private-sector support to advance sport

Indonesia’s Minister for Youth and Sport Erik Thohir is continuing to marshal private-sector support to work with the government and federations to advance sport across the country. ‘The growth of sport must be supported by cross-sector collaboration, not only relying on the government, but the role of the private sector and community support are also required,’ Thohir wrote on his official social media account monitored in Jakarta on Sunday. In his post, the Youth and Sports Minister also shared a photo with Hendra Lembong, President Director of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, after their meeting. He explained that BCA is currently assisting sport development by providing support for tennis and swimming athletes. According to Thohir, the support is a tangible example of private-sector involvement in nurturing athletes and developing performance sport in Indonesia. Such private-sector support, he said, is greatly needed to improve achievements and to develop Indonesia’s sports industry, which the government is actively promoting. Beyond athlete development, private-sector involvement is also seen as helping to develop various sport ecosystems, ranging from organising competitions, improving the quality of training facilities, to strengthening the management of sport organisations. In addition to discussions with BCA, the Minister also met senior figures from the Ciputra Group, who according to him are always keen to contribute to Indonesia’s sport progress. The Ciputra Group is currently involved in developing promising golf athletes and professional golfers so they can grow and achieve results. Thohir stated that private-sector athlete development can help broaden the pathways for nurturing sporting talent from a young age through to the professional level. He added that collaboration among the government, sports federations and the private sector is one of the key factors in boosting Indonesian athletes’ competitiveness on the international stage. The Minister explained that the ministry he leads continues to push for sport growth with support from cross-sector partners, especially the private sector, which plays a sponsorship role because funding for sport is not sufficient to rely solely on government expenditure. With the involvement of various parties, the government hopes national sport development can operate more sustainably and produce more successful athletes who can bring honour to Indonesia at international events.