"The success story of the convening of this year's IBL will positively affect the basketball ecosystem in Indonesia," he noted as cited from a written statement on his ministry's website on Saturday.
The home and away system that had been applied during the competition had highly motivated the teams when facing their rivals at their home base.
"I think the 2023 IBL had been very well organized, and it was held in the post-COVID 19 pandemic era," he said.
The 2023 season of IBL had ended on Saturday, with Prawira Harum Bandung club appearing as the champion. It defeated Pelita Jaya with the score 63-58 in the second game of the final stage, succeeding its 74-65 victory in the first game.
This year's championship title constitutes Prawira Harum Bandung's first title since its establishment in 2018.
Minister Ariotedjo directly watched the second game that was held at the C-TRA Arena, Bandung, on Saturday evening. Moreover, he, along with West Java Governor, also handed over the IBL champion trophy to Prawira.
On the occasion, he also congratulated Prawira as the beloved team of Bandung residents, saying, "I would like to congratulate Prawira Harum for the title. The game was so intense and remarkable."
Ariotedjo is not new in the country's basketball community. Apart from serving as a minister, he also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) and once served as a commissioner of an IBL club, RANS PIK Basketball.
The 2023 IBL competition marked the eight edition of the national tournament since the current competition format was applied in 2016.
This year, Prawira managed to clinch its unprecedented title, while Pelita Jaya suffered its third consecutive losses in the final stage in the past three tournament editions.
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Translator: A Rauf, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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