Vice President Jokowi, Menpora Dito Ariotedjo Officially Opens KOI Congress

The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) or NOC Indonesia Congress was officially opened by Menpora Dito Ariotedjo. (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) or NOC Indonesia Congress was officially opened by the Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora) Dito Ariotedjo who represented President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). In his remarks, Dito expressed his gratitude from the President to the ranks of KOI administrators for their hard work.

"These efforts have ensured the participation of Indonesian athletes in multi-sports, such as the 2019 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed to 2021, Vietnam's 2021 SEA Games, which have withdrawn to 2022, and the 2023 Cambodian SEA Games", said the Minister of Youth and Sports.

In a speech delivered by the Minister of Youth and Sports, President Jokowi said that the world of sports has experienced very serious challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the last three years.

However, achievements at the 2022 and 2023 SEA Games, as well as the ASEAN Para Games in the same year were able to foster optimism and a positive trend in the world of sports in the country.

In addition, KOI is also considered capable of maintaining Indonesian sports diplomacy at the international level, as can be seen from efforts to accelerate the completion of sanctions by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

KOI is also expected to be able to continue to synergize with the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) so that Indonesia's sports achievements can continue to grow in the international arena.

In 2023, there are still two Asian-level sporting events that will be participated in by Indonesia, namely the Asian Games and the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games.

Finally, KOI is also reminded to continue to be a partner of the government in building national athlete databases with KONI, national federations, and other stakeholders.

"I believe, with strong cooperation and dedication, we can all advance Indonesian sports to a higher level," concluded the Menpora.