NOC Indonesia Encourages Pencak Silat To Appear In The 2026 Youth Olympics

Chairman of NOC Indonesia Raja Sapta Oktohari (center) (doc. NOC Indonesia).

JAKARTA The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI/NOC Indonesia) continues to try to encourage pencak silat to get the opportunity to appear in the 2026 Youth Olympics or Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2026 in Dakkar.

This was marked by the attempt to include pencak silat as a member of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS) through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the General Assembly which took place in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"This partnership paved the way for pencak silat to enter the Olympic system. This is a concrete step so that traditional Indonesian sports get global recognition," said Raja Sapta Oktohari, President of NOC Indonesia.

The signing of this memorandum of understanding is an important momentum to strengthen the position of pencak silat in the international realm and expand the reach of Indonesian sports diplomacy.

Okto, as Raja Sapta Oktohari is called, said that if later officially joins AIMS, then pencak silat will obtain legitimacy for the process in the international sports ecosystem recognized by the IOC.

"The short-term goal is to appear at the 2026 Dakkar Youth Olympic Games. However, more than that, this is a long process to ensure pencak silat is recognized as part of the world's sports community," he said.

AIMS is one of five world sports umbrella organizations officially recognized by the IOC, along with the GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations), ARISF (Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federations), ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations), and AIOWF (Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations).

Unlike the Olympic sports federation, AIMS oversees non-Olympic sports which are currently in the process of admitting the IOC.

AIMS' main goal is to help its members strengthen governance, expand global reach, and facilitate communication with the IOC so that the sport can gain official recognition.

Several sports that previously took part in AIMS, such as muaythai, cheerleading, and Marijuana, have now received IOC recognition.