Congratulations, Anies Wins Kite Fighting Against World Champion

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan opened a kite tournament for the DKI Jakarta Governor's Cup at Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) 2 field, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, Saturday, July 2. Anies even won a kite duel with world-class kite-pulling competition champion from Indonesia, Lei Fie Kiat.

"I was lucky that I was able to play kites against Koh Akiat and I didn't expect Koh Akiat's kite to break. Who prayed for that earlier?" Anies said happily commenting on his victory to reporters in North Jakarta.

Anies did not expect the strings of the 1998-2004 World Champion kite to break after colliding with his kite.

Anies' experience of playing kites regularly as a child contributed to the victory. In fact, Anies said, there used to be problems at home because they were busy playing kites.​​​​​"Forget the time when playing kites, during the day those who should sleep can go long and play kites and now play small kites, right? It's a big kite, yes. This is where I go back to when I grew up," said Anies as quoted from ANTARA.

According to Anies, kite flying is a habit of millions of children in Indonesia. There are probably millions of people who spent their childhood playing the game from day to night every day.

Now kite fighting is on a slightly different level. According to Anies, in that match, he felt the movement of his sport.

Even to beat an opponent, he must require physical movements, skills and tactics like in other sports competitions.​​​

Kite lovers who are members of the All-Indonesia Kite Complaints Association (Perlasi) held a kite tournament for the DKI Jakarta Governor's Cup with a total prize of IDR 140 million to celebrate Jakarta's 495th Anniversary.

Anies said that kiting has now been developed into a sport that can be competed. Therefore, according to Anies, the kite tournament must continue to be supported.

"This can turn a hobby into an achievement which when it becomes an achievement it will make Indonesia proud," said Anies.

He hopes the tournament will run smoothly and produce achievements and produce athletes who can continue the Indonesian kite legend, namely Koh Akiat. "But remember the motto is 'above the opponent, below the friend'," said Anies.

Koh Akiat, as Lei Fie Kiat is known, hopes that after this match, Indonesia can continue what it has previously achieved, becoming the world championship champion.

"There's a new champion. A new world champion. In France. I was really looking forward to it," said Koh Akiat.

There are 10 provinces competing in the PIK 2 field, in the competition which took place on Saturday and Sunday (3/7), including East Java, West Java and Bali.

General Chairperson of Perlasi, Essa Muhammad conveyed that his party is currently encouraging complaint kits to become a sport of achievement so that later they can be regularly competed in various activities.

“Kinging must be a sport that is recognized as a sport of achievement. So that it will indirectly raise the dignity of the players and kite craftsmen," he said.