Minister: Prabowo pushes for sports academy establishment

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Erick Thohir, stated that President Prabowo Subianto is encouraging the development of national sports through the formation of sports academies designed to train athletes from an early age.

According to Thohir, the development of these academies will integrate levels from primary school (SD), junior high school (SMP), to senior high school (SMA) as the foundation for future athlete development. “The President is also encouraging the creation of centralised training centres known as sports academies, which we will initiate from primary, junior high, and senior high school levels,” Erick said in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, on Friday.

This plan to build sports academies is believed to be a fundamental part of the national sports development ecosystem. In addition to discussing the academies, President Prabowo also highlighted the importance of ensuring welfare for athletes after they retire from their careers.

One of the issues discussed is the athlete pension fund scheme, which the government is currently preparing. During this meeting, President Prabowo also requested that athletes with disabilities in Indonesia receive genuine attention as part of the effort to provide equal opportunities for all citizens.

“There are approximately 23.9 to 25.9 million people with disabilities in Indonesia, and nearly 11 per cent of them enjoy sports. Therefore, the President wants to ensure that athletes with disabilities are truly prioritised,” said Erick.

He noted that the President is paying close attention to the Indonesian disability community’s interest in sports. Consequently, the government continues to promote various programmes that support the development of disability sports.