Affected by Budget Efficiency, Ministry of Youth and Sports Tightens Programs

PALEMBANG, KOMPAS – Due to budget efficiency policies, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has to tighten their programs. In fact, the dispatch of athletes to an international sports event is also restricted only to athletes who have the best chances of achieving success.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, while inspecting the current conditions of the Jakabaring Sports Complex (JSC) in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Wednesday (12/5/2025), stated that budget efficiency also affects the programs at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Therefore, they must determine the priority scale in implementing programs, including preparations for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, the 2026 ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, and the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is striving to ensure that the preparations for the participation of the Indonesian contingent in the three international multi-sport events are not disrupted. "In essence, we have to work more strictly and monitor more closely to prevent budget leaks that could actually be reused for programs in the Ministry of Youth and Sports," he said.

Regarding its impact on sending athletes to international multi-sport events, Dito stated that the budget efficiency impact requires them to thoroughly analyze the achievement opportunities of each athlete. They will only send athletes who have the best chances of achievement, such as those who have previously won medals at the Asian Games level.

In other words, the dispatch of athletes can no longer be as extravagant as before. "For the SEA Games, we will send young athletes who indeed have the potential for achievements. Conversely, for the Asian Games, we will only send athletes who have previously won medals at the Asian Games level," said Dito.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian national amputee soccer team is one of the branches that hopes that the budget efficiency policy will not impact the continuity of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. On Wednesday, the national amputee team just won the runner-up title in the 2025 Asian Amputee Championship. Their participation began with a five-month training camp funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, before the budget efficiency policy.

After the Asian Amputee Championship, the national amputee team will participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which are planned to be held in October or November 2025. The Chairman of the Indonesian Amputee Football Association (PSAI), Yudhi Yahya, hopes that, in addition to their efforts to find sponsors, the Ministry of Youth and Sports can once again accommodate the national team's needs for a six-month training camp. This is because the results of the training camp have proven to make the team better prepared.

"This year, there is budget efficiency, but hopefully we will not be affected because previously we were on the priority scale of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. If the Ministry of Youth and Sports can fully support us, we will also strive to fully maximize our efforts for achievements on the world stage," said Yudhi.

Sports observer Fritz E Simanjuntak said, with the budget efficiency policy, the Ministry of Youth and Sports must create a priority scale in running the program. They must prioritize programs that are truly urgent (urgent) and important (important).

For non-urgent and non-essential activities, the Ministry of Youth and Sports must take a firm stance not to fund them. For example, the sending of six athletes to participate in three ice skiing events at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China from February 7-14. The sending of these athletes is also supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Just send athletes who really have a chance to win gold. Don't send those with a chance to win silver or bronze because it will increase the number of contingents that will go. In the end, the limited budget will be even more wasted.

In fact, the Asian Winter Games is not an urgent and important event for Indonesia. Because, there is no regular championship of winter sports in Indonesia.

"It's not that I don't care about athletes, but sending athletes to the winter multi-sport event is not urgent and important for Indonesia. With budget efficiency, it would be better to eliminate the sending and focus the budget on urgent and important activities, such as the SEA Games and Asian Games," said Fritz.

For the SEA Games and Asian Games, Fritz said, the Ministry of Youth and Sports must also be stricter in sending athletes. With budget limitations, athletes who are sent must be those who really have a chance of winning a gold medal. There should no longer be a term for sending athletes who have a chance of silver or bronze because it tends to be speculative.

"Just send athletes who really have a chance to win gold. Don't send those with a chance to win silver or bronze because it will increase the number of contingents that will go. In the end, the limited budget will be wasted," said Fritz.

In addition, Fritz said, the Ministry of Youth and Sports should no longer fund activities of branch administrators that are not related to improving achievements. "Just fund activities that are related to coaching, such as training and organizing championships so that the limited budget remains optimal for athlete achievements," he said.