Three Jobs from President Jokowi for New Sports Minister
The new Youth and Sport minister was given three priority tasks by President Joko Widodo. One of them is to develop sports leagues for holding competitions between schools to sow the seeds of talented athletes.
By
NINA SUSILO, CYPRIANUS ANTO SAPTOWALYONO, ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH
·3 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed Ario Bimo Nandito “Dito” Ariotedjo as the Youth and Sports Minister on Monday (3/4/2023) at the State Palace in Jakarta. The new minister was given three priority tasks.
Dito replaces fellow Golkar Party member Zainudin Amali, who resigned from the ministerial post after he was elected as deputy chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI).
The President asked Dito to prepare Indonesian athletes for the Cambodia SEA Games 2023 and the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. For these two events, the newly installed minister was asked to prioritize those sports with potential medal wins.
The President also asked Dito to develop sports leagues for holding competitions between schools, universities campuses and villages to sow the seeds of talented athletes.
The third task is advancing Indonesia’s sports industry ecosystem. "Pak [Mr.] President wants youth to be developed more towards entrepreneurship and professionalism, and wants the youth index to increase," Dito said after he was sworn in.
Dito also made assurances that international events in Indonesia, namely the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the World Beach Games Bali, would be held properly and optimally. He would also anticipate politicization that had undermined Indonesia's rights to host the U-20 World Cup.
Alongside Dito's inauguration at the State Palace, President Jokowi also appointed Comr. Gen. Rycko Amelza Dahniel as the head of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT). Earlier, the President also witnessed Sunarto's swearing as the Supreme Court’s Deputy Chief Justice for Judicial Affairs.
No time to adapt
With a tenure of around 1.5 years and a number of sports problems that must be resolved, Dito was asked not to set aside time to adapt.
"Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo must learn while running because he has a very short time. However, with his youth, energy, much experience, and willingness to learn, I think Dito can take responsibility and solve all existing problems," said Djoko Pekik Irianto, a professor of athlete achievement and sports management from the Faculty of Sports Science at Yogyakarta State University, when contacted from Jakarta on Monday.
Djoko said that Dito needed to pay attention to two main points, namely coordinating and consulting both vertically and horizontally. Dito must coordinate with all stakeholders, such as the National Sports Council (KONI), the Indonesian Olympics Committee (KOI), and the main sports associations. The aim was to accelerate Indonesia's readiness to participate in and host a number of international events.
Meanwhile, Dito must also consult with the Vice President, the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency, and the Ministry of Finance to ensure budgetary support for the National Sports Grand Design (DBON).
As for football, continued Djoko, the new minister must consult with FIFA immediately to improve or maintain the world football community's trust in Indonesia.
For Lexyndo Hakim, chairman of the Indonesian contingent (chef de mission) to the 2023 SEA Games, Dito’s appointment of as the new sports minister has brought fresh air and hope to the athletes. It is hoped that Dito will be able to immediately clarify everything related to the SEA Games that has been unclear until now. (*)