Indonesia, Russia explore ways to solidify sports cooperation

Posted by Admin February 22, 2024 Sports

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo, on Wednesday (February 21), met with his Russian counterpart, Oleg Matytsin, to explore workable measures for stepping up their countries’ cooperation in sports.

According to a statement received from the Indonesian Youth and Sports Ministry here on Thursday, Ariotedjo pushed for further intensifying cooperation between Indonesia and Russia in various sports branches during the meeting held in Kazan, Russia’s Tatarstan.

“I am expecting stronger cooperation in several sports branches, such as badminton, athletics, gymnastics, aquatic, football, wrestling, and pencak silat. Hopefully, more solid cooperation will bring achievements and lead the two countries to closer ties,” Ariotedjo stated.

The minister also made the most of his visit to Russia by attending the opening ceremony of the Games of the Future, a competition that adopts the concept of “phygital” that combines physical and digital sports.

“Games of the Future is not merely about innovation, as the event also accommodates the wish of plenty of people to combine physical and digital sports,” he remarked.

Minister Matytsin, for his part, expressed hope that stronger cooperation between Russia and Indonesia would bring huge benefits to the countries in terms of international competition as well as exchange of culture and training methods among athletes.

During the bilateral meeting, Matytsin also conveyed Russia’s invitation to Indonesia to the BRICS Sport Games scheduled to take place in Kazan in June this year.

Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Tourism, Sport, Culture, and Communications Dmitry Chernyshenko; Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Jose Tavares; and an expert at the Indonesian Youth and Sports Ministry Hamdan Hamedan were also present at the meeting.