Jakarta - Three martial arts, namely pencak silat, taekwondo, and karate, will be competed in the Bela Negara Cup Championship series in seven provinces, namely South Sumatra, East Java, DKI Jakarta, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, DI Yogyakarta, and East Kalimantan.The Director General of Defense Potential of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Major General TNI Piek Budyakto, said that the Ministry of Defense welcomed and fully supported the implementation of the Bela Negara Cup."This championship is certainly in order to promote Bela Negara for Advanced Indonesia, by fostering the spirit of sports in society as a component of the nation. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense fully supports the implementation of this championship," said Piek Budyakto as quoted from an official statement, Friday.
The first series of this championship will be opened in Malang on 7-9 February and will culminate on the day that coincides with the 77th National Defense Day, namely on 19 December 2025.
Director of National Defense Brigadier General TNI G. Eko Sunarta added that this competition is an effort to internalize national defense and create athletes who uphold a sense of nationalism, patriotism, and readiness."In addition, of course, the seeds produced from this championship can contribute, because they can become the seeds of athletes with national and international achievements," said Eko Sunarto.Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the National Defense Cup Championship, Joshua Hamilton, said that the championship was also held to support President Prabowo Subianto's Asta Cita regarding equalizing achievements and quality of human resources, especially in the field of sports."We have coordinated with the parent sports that are being competed, Pencak Silat (PB IPSI), Taekwondo (PBTI), and Karate (PB FORKI) as well as other related parties, such as the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports & KONI Center, so that the implementation of the activities can run smoothly, orderly and safely, and help and contribute to what the Government is focusing on, namely DBON (National Sports Grand Design)," he concluded.