“We have voiced Indonesia’s desire for the SEA Games to feature sports that are part of the Olympics,” Thohir told reporters in Jakarta Tuesday.
He said the SEA Games should become a clear stepping stone toward the Olympics, with events aligned to the Olympic program. However, he acknowledged that host countries can add popular local sports.
“As hosts, they are free to add 10 or 15 sports. Every host wants to be the overall champion,” he said.
Thohir said the proposal was presented by Deputy Minister Taufik Hidayat during the 8th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports in Hanoi, Vietnam, and discussed with Patrick Gregor, chairman of the Philippine Sports Authority, in Jakarta.
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Gregor, representing the Philippines as the next ASEAN chair, plans to discuss the idea with regional sports ministers in April 2026.
Indonesia will hold a meeting of Southeast Asian sports ministers in February 2026 to further explore the proposal.
Thohir highlighted ASEAN athletes’ Olympic successes, including climber Veddriq Leonardo and weightlifter Rizki Juniansyah from Indonesia, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo from the Philippines, and swimmer Joseph Schooling from Singapore.
He said adopting an Olympic-focused SEA Games would help ASEAN countries develop more strategic sports programs and push Indonesia to improve its international competitiveness.
“We must not fall behind. Indonesia needs to compete strongly for Olympic gold medals,” he said.
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Translator: Aloysius, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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