Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Pencak Silat traditional martial art
fighters from 42 countries attended the opening of the 17th Pencak Silat
World Championship here on Saturday (Dec. 3)
The event was officially opened by the general chairman of the
Association of Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI), Prabowo Subianto, who is
also the chairman of the World Federation of Pencak Silat.
In his opening speech, he said, "This championship is expected to help deepen the relations between countries."
"Pencak Silat as a sport and part of the indigenous culture of
Indonesia that has increasingly been accepted by the world community as
reflected by the increasing number of participants in the event,"
organizing committee chairman Edhy Prabowo noted.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Minister of Sports and
Youth Affairs Imam Nahrawi and Bali deputy governor, I Ketut Sudikerta.
Edhy disclosed that a total of 533 athletes and officials attended
the event. The championship will feature 24 categories, divided into 18
matches and six art events, including singles, doubles and group.
Participants have come from South Africa, Algeria, the US,
Australian Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam,
Estonia, the Philippines, India, Britain, Japan, Iran, Germany,
Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Egypt, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan, France, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Suriname,
Switzerland, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and
Vietnam.
"We will also organize a Pencak Silat Festival showcasing a parade
of self-defense arts. The festival is the first event being held by the
Association of Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI)," Edhy revealed.
The committee also plans to hold the 13th national congress which
will be attended by all central and provincial boards of the IPSI. Its
main agenda will be to elect a new IPSI general chairman for 2016-2020.
IPSI Secretary General Erizal Chainago informed that the festival
would be held at the second floor of the Lila Bhuana sports hall while
the championship would be held on the first floor.
The festival will feature traditional music from Bali, West Java, East Java and West Sumatra. (WDY)
Pencak Silat World Championship Begins Officially
Pewarta : Reported by Imam Santoso 4 Desember 2016 12:29 WIB