Pencak Silat at the 2025 AYG: A Sweet Victory for Sports Diplomacy

Bahrain, IO – Pencak Silat has once again made history on the Asian sporting stage. For the first time ever, the traditional Indonesian martial art was officially included as a medal event at the Asian Youth Games (AYG) Bahrain 2025.

This achievement marks a major milestone for the International Pencak Silat Federation (PERSILAT), which worked tirelessly to secure pencak silat’s inclusion as a full competition event. The journey took persistent diplomacy and strong support from various parties, especially the Indonesian Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia), before Bahrain, as the host country, finally approved pencak silat as an official sport rather than just an exhibition.

“This is the result of long and dedicated sports diplomacy,” said Benny Sumarsono, former Executive Chairman of PERSILAT. “From the beginning, PERSILAT and NOC Indonesia worked together to convince the AYG organizers and the host that pencak silat deserves its place at Asia’s youth sporting festival. Now, pencak silat is no longer an exhibition event; it’s an official medal sport.”

The pencak silat competition at AYG Bahrain 2025 was considered a success, attracting participants from 14 countries. The medal distribution reflected fair competition and balanced achievements across nations.

Indonesia’s athletes brought home both gold and silver, while Uzbekistan claimed one gold and one bronze, and the Philippines earned one gold. Meanwhile, Bahrain and Kyrgyzstan each secured a silver, and Cambodia, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia all took home bronze medals.

This outcome shows pencak silat’s gaining acceptance across Asia, and continues to be recognized on the global stage.

The historic moment was witnessed by Ardi Hermawan, Indonesia’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, who attended the event at Hall 1 of Exhibition World Bahrain. During the opening ceremony, Ardi Hermawan and PERSILAT Secretary General Teddy Suratmadji symbolically presented a Kujang, a traditional Indonesian blade, to mark the official start of the pencak silat competition at the Asian Youth Games 2025.

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This success also reflects Indonesia’s strong sports diplomacy efforts, led by the Indonesian Olympic Committee. “This gold medal is not just a victory for our athletes, but also for Indonesia’s sports diplomacy,” said Raja Sapta Oktohari, President of NOC Indonesia. “Pencak silat represents our national identity, and today the world witnessed how our cultural heritage stands proudly on the Asian stage. Going forward, we aim to see pencak silat featured on more global platforms, because our ultimate goal is to make pencak silat a worldwide sport.”

As a gesture of appreciation, Raja Sapta Oktohari was given the honor of presenting medals to the pencak silat winners at AYG 2025, a symbolic moment underscoring Indonesia’s leadership as the global hub for pencak silat development.