JAKARTA - The Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora), Erick Thohir, emphasized the country's support for athletes of the sport of rock climbing who were victims of the alleged case of sexual harassment and physical violence.
Erick said that as a form of seriousness in dealing with the case, he also supported the steps of the Indonesian Bouldering Federation (FPTI) to accompany and facilitate the five victims to file a report to the National Police Headquarters so that it could be thoroughly investigated.
"The state is present to protect athletes. We stand by the victim and fully support the federation's steps to be processed legally so that the victim gets justice and the perpetrator, if found guilty, must receive the maximum punishment," he said.
The case of abuse has been widely discussed in the past week and has become a serious concern from sports stakeholders. The alleged perpetrator is the former head coach who has now been dismissed by FPTI.
Erick emphasized that every athlete has the right to have a safe, dignified, and free sports environment from all forms of violence and ensuring that the Government will not tolerate sexual violence in the world of sports.
He emphasized that handling this case must be an important momentum to strengthen the athlete protection system in all sports because the safety and well-being of athletes are the top priority in developing the national sports ecosystem.
"We must not turn a blind eye to this problem. There is no place for violence, let alone sexual violence in the world of sports, which should be a safe space for athletes to train, develop, and achieve for the nation."
"We at the Ministry of Youth and Sports encourage all sports federations, coaches, managers, and the sports community to work together to build a culture that upholds integrity, respect for human dignity, and protection of athletes," said Erick.
The General Chair of FPTI, Yenny Wahid, previously conveyed that the effort to report the case to the police was made while attending a press conference introducing the national team (national training) for rock climbing to the 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
On that occasion, Yenny appreciated the courage shown by the five athletes in revealing the physical and sexual violence they experienced. He assessed the victims' steps to speak and bring this issue to the legal track showed a commitment to uncovering the true facts.
"If FPTI cannot report organizationally, we will help find lawyers for victims who want to report to the police," he said.
Yenny Wahid also emphasized that the federation would make every effort to protect the rights and privacy of the athletes who were victims in the case. In addition, FPTI is also committed to providing full support for the legal process being carried out by the victim's lawyer team.
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