Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Send-Off Ceremony for the Indonesian Contingent to the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, at the State Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Good afternoon,
May peace be upon us all,
Shalom,
Salve, 
Om swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya, 
Greetings of virtue,
Rahayu rahayu.

Distinguished Coordinating Ministers, Ministers, Vice Ministers, and all members of the Red and White Cabinet present here; Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Erick Thohir; Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Professor Pratikno in his capacity as the Person in Charge; Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Mr. Airlangga Hartarto; Minister of State Secretary Mr. Prasetyo Hadi; Cabinet Secretary Lt. Col. Teddy Indra Wijaya; Vice Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Taufik Hidayat;

Special Presidential Envoy for Youth Development and Arts Workers Mr. Raffi Ahmad;

Then, the general chairpersons and heads of the various sports federations also present here;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Wushu Association Executive Board Chairperson Mr. Airlangga Hartarto;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Athletics Association General (Ret.) Luhut Pandjaitan;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association Mr. Sugiono;

General Chairperson of the Weightlifting Association Mr. Roslan Perkasa Roeslani;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Cycling Federation Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Judo Association (PJSI) General Maruli Simanjuntak;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian E-Sports Association General (Ret.) M. Herindra;

General Chairperson of the Rock-Climbing Federation Mrs. Yenny Wahid;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Aquatics Association Mr. Anindya Bakrie;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Roller-Skating Association Mr. Velix Vernando Wanggai;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation Mrs. Ita Yuliati Irawan;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Badminton Association Police Commissioner General Mohammad Fadil Imran;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Taekwondo Association Lieutenant General Richard Tampubolon;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Volleyball Association Police Commissioner General (Ret.) Imam Sudjarwo;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Modern Pentathlon Association Air Marshal Purwoko Aji Prabowo;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Tennis Association Professor Nurdin Halid;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Sepak Takraw Association Professor Surianto;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Mixed Fighting Association Tommy Paulus Hermawan;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Soft Tennis Association Police Inspector General M. Awal Chairuddin;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Boxing Association Ray Zulham Farras Nugraha;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Pingpong League Police Commissioner General (Ret.) Petrus Reinhard;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Target Shooting and Hunting Association (Perbakin) Siswanto;

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Surfing Association Egy Adhitya Hilman.

Ladies and gentlemen, also present here are a number of vice chairpersons whom I think I will not mention one by one, without diminishing my respect.

Dear athletes, coaches, officials, and the entire Indonesian contingent at the 20th Asian Games in Japan in 2026;

All distinguished guests;

Members of press and media;

My fellow compatriots, wherever you are.

As people of faith, let us ceaselessly express our gratitude to Almighty God, Allah SWT, God of all Muslims, the Lord of all the universe. We pray to Him alone, and we ask Him alone for help. We are grateful for all the blessings and the peace still granted to us, especially for the health and breath, so that we can gather this afternoon at the State Palace of the Republic of Indonesia for the send-off ceremony for the Indonesian contingent that will compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am proud to meet with all of you today. I wish to emphasize that sports play a vital role in the life of our nation and state. A successful, strong nation is one whose people are strong. If its people are strong, the nation is strong. When its people possess physical strength, skills, and a strong spirit, the nation itself becomes spirited, strong, and skilled—and ultimately, successful.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The gifts bestowed by the Almighty are something for which we must be grateful. Not every Indonesian is endowed with the abilities you possess. Out of hundreds of millions of Indonesians, only 432 athletes were selected. The 432 of you met the requirements and are qualified to represent Indonesia’s population of 287 million. This is a tremendous honor.

I am currently the President of the Republic of Indonesia, and I attained the highest rank in the military; yet, in my heart, I acknowledge that I have never achieved what you have: representing the nation. I say this in all honesty. Therefore, on behalf of the state, the nation, and the people of Indonesia, I thank you for your hard work. You have sacrificed countless hours of your time; I know that becoming a champion demands immense sacrifice.

I once heard an Olympic coach from a certain country—when asked, “What is the formula for becoming an Olympic champion?” He answered that the formula for becoming a champion consists of just three things: practice, practice, and practice. That is a principle I have always held onto. It means that to reach this pinnacle, you have to fight hard. So, I offer my congratulations. I send you best wishes as you depart; best wishes as you represent our country and nation; and best wishes in your competition. Do your absolute best for your nation. Please give it your all. Represent our country. Show the world that Indonesian athletes are resilient, spirited, and never give up.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During the last SEA Games, … is there an equestrian athlete here? Or are they all training abroad? Yes. There was one eventing athlete, eventing involves cross-country competition. It turned out that just days before the competition, while training, the athlete fell and suffered a fractured rib. Yet, this athlete was a key member of the team. When offered the chance to be replaced by a substitute, the athlete refused. While riding and holding the reins, whereas other athletes could use both hands, this athlete could use only one. Just one hand. This athlete rode that way all the way to the finish line, helping the team secure a medal. If I recall correctly, it was a gold medal—a first for that specific sport. I share this as an example. Everyone—referees, judges, and spectators alike—saluted that athlete. This individual did not choose the safe or easy path; instead, they prioritized the honor of their nation and country. It is a truly proud example. If I am not mistaken, the athlete was a soldier—an Army soldier, correct? I ordered the TNI Commander and the Army Chief of Staff to promote that athlete. I believe he held the rank of Sergeant at the time. You promoted them afterwards, didn’t you? He now holds the rank of officer.

I guess I don’t want to go into more detail, okay? It doesn’t have to be too long, right? Speeches and remarks don’t have to be too long, right? If these are officials and political leaders, they tend to be on the podium for a very long time.

In essence, good luck. We pray that you will do your best. And also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the leaders and coaches of each sports. I thank the leaders of sports associations, for your leadership, and also for your sacrifice, since being a sports leader in Indonesia is not like in other countries. We make sacrifices. We sacrifice time, sacrifice energy, sacrifice … what else … you know, right? I’m sure that every time they go managing their sports teams, their wives show disapproval. I believe the husbands don’t like it either. In Indonesia, it’s different. They smiled a bit wryly. But there is something inside them, love of their country. They want to do something. They have actually reached the peaks of their careers. But they still want to do something for the nation. Although most of them used to be great sportsmen too.

Mr. Luhut is good at running and shooting. I never won against him at that time. But when I was his commander and when it came to tennis, I kept winning over him. But when I retired, I was surprised because I kept losing. Apparently, in the army, the subordinates didn’t dare to beat the commander. I felt like I was great at that time because every time I played as a commander, I kept winning. Once you retire, you keep losing. After that, my friends, who were left behind, keep inviting me to reunions. I lost badly at tennis, I got 6-1, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1. Yes, but the point is we are enthusiastic.

I think that’s all from me. Good luck. May God Almighty always give you all strength and all the best. I remember, I was presented with a report by Mr. Erick, “Mr. President, every gold medalist in the SEA Games is awarded Rp 1 billion.” But, this is the Asian Games, and gold medalists will be awarded Rp 3 billion. And please ask all the sports association leaders. We’re accelerating the career development of athletes who won silver and bronze medals in the last sporting event and the coaches, aren’t we? There are police officers whose ranks are superintendents and policewomen, etc, who complained to me about not being promoted for a long time. I’ve ordered the Chief of the National Police to promote them. We shouldn’t be stingy. Right? If they perform well, we give them respect. Indonesians have a saying. I don’t know about it now, but back then in the army, “If we do good, the commander often forgets. If we make mistakes, the commander never forgets.” So, if mistakes are remembered, good deeds are often forgotten. We’re changing this, right? We’re changing for the sake of good deeds.

Congratulations, group leaders. Congratulations on leading. Mr. Erick, thank you for your hard work, and the nation and state await your achievements and long to hear our national anthem played.

I thank you.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
May peace be upon us all,
Shalom,
Salve, 
Om swastiastu,
Om santi santi santi om.
Namo Buddhaya, 
Greetings of Virtue.

I thank you.

(GWH/TM)