NOC Indonesia Ready To Help Japan Develop Pencak Silat

JAKARTA The Indonesian Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia) officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Japanese Olympic Committee and is ready to assist in the development of sports (sports) pencak silat.

This is the first strategic partnership with Indonesia carried out by Seiko Hashimoto since he became Japan's new leader of NOC.

The President of NOC Indonesia, Raja Sapta Oktohari, emphasized that this agreement is a tangible manifestation of Indonesian sports diplomacy that never stops.

"Japan and Indonesia have had good diplomatic and economic cooperation for more than two decades."

"Sport diplomacy is an extension of the good relations between the nation and our society," he said.

In addition to efforts to develop pencak silat in Japan, this collaboration also includes the Olympic movement, the exchange of athletes and coaches, as well as the collaboration of anti-doping programs.

Okto - Raja Sapta Oktohari's nickname - ensures that Indonesia will be ready to help Japan develop pencak silat sports through various programs that will be created in this collaboration.

"We will look for every possible and practical opportunity to work together and build capacity in both countries, including introducing and developing traditional Indonesian sports such as pencak silat in Japan," said Okto.

Later, Indonesia through the Communion of the National Pencak Silat (Persilat) and the Executive Board of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (PB IPSI) will provide coaches and training programs if Japan needs.

Japan's NOC president, Seiko Hashimoto, said that Japan will pay special attention to pencak silat, including conducting research on the extent to which pencak silat has developed and how much its community in Japan is today.

"We see the great potential of pencak silat as a traditional Indonesian sport that can contribute to enriching the diversity of sports in Japan," said Hashimoto.

In addition to pencak silat, Hashimoto emphasized that the cooperation between the two NOCs is also important in the fields of sports science, sports medicine, sports tourism, and sports infrastructure development.

"We can give the largest contribution to strengthening supporting infrastructure. Japan has very advanced sports science and sports facilities, as well as a national training center in various sports," he said.

This collaboration also reinforces the relationship between Okto and Seiko Hashimoto, which has existed for more than a decade since the two of them led national cycling federations in their respective countries.

"We have a deep understanding of the entire sporting ecosystem. We want to maximize our experiences and knowledge for the development of Indonesian and Japanese sports," said Hashimoto.