FPTI Welcomes Prabowo’s Support for National Sport Climbing

JAKARTA — FPTI welcomed Prabowo’s support for national sport climbing after the government signaled strong backing for a multiyear budget scheme for athletes’ national training camp. Indonesian Climbing Federation (PP FPTI) chair Yenny Wahid said the policy matters to keep development running, without stopping halfway.

Yenny responded to President Prabowo’s commitment, conveyed by Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir in a meeting in Hambalang, West Java, some time ago. The support, she said, does not stop at one competition calendar, but reaches the wider sports ecosystem built for the long term.

National sport climbing is in an unusual moment. Indonesia has just made history with a lead gold medal at the 2026 World Climbing Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. The result sends a clear message: Indonesia is not strong only in speed, but also has wide room to grow in other disciplines if development is handled seriously.

“We appreciate the President’s commitment and full support for long-term training camps and a multiyear budget policy,” Yenny said when contacted in Jakarta on Saturday (20/6).

Longer breath for development

For FPTI, government support is not about ceremony. What matters is a longer breath for development. Athletes need consistent training schedules, coaches who can build step-by-step programs, sports science support, and funding certainty so targets do not change every time the budget year turns over.

Yenny said global achievements can only emerge if development continues. Her message was blunt. No shortcuts.

“That is why the President’s strong support for long-term training camps is a very strategic decision. This is not only an investment for one or two competitions, but an investment in the future of Indonesian sports,” Yenny said.

At a practical level, a multiyear scheme gives the federation room to design training programs more neatly. That includes performance monitoring, physical strength development, mental preparation for competition, and the setting of an international competition calendar. Without funding certainty, that chain can easily break.

And that is costly. An athlete who has been built over years can lose momentum simply because the program ends before the next major target arrives.

From speed to lead

Indonesia has long been known as a world power in speed. The Merah Putih has repeatedly stood on the top podium in that event. But the lead gold at the World Championships shows that national sport climbing development is becoming more complete.

For FPTI, the result was no accident. There was a long technical process behind it. There was the right athlete selection. There was focused training. There was also government support that gave certainty. According to Yenny, that combination makes major achievements possible in a sport long associated with speed and explosive power.

“The lead world gold we won in Prague proves that major achievements are not the result of a momentary effort. With focused, continuous development and full state support, Indonesia can create new history and keep raising the Merah Putih on the world stage,” Yenny added.

The lead achievement also matters for national development. If one discipline can grow, Indonesia’s strength map in this sport expands too. That means medal opportunities in multi-event and single-event international competitions do not depend on just one specialty. This is good news for medium- and long-term development.

Why multiyear funding matters

A multiyear funding scheme is often key in elite athlete development. Sports like climbing cannot be built on a last-minute model. Athletes need a clear adaptation period, gradual measurement, and stable facility support. If funding stalls, program quality drops with it.

In the context of a training camp, funding certainty also affects athletes’ psychology. They can focus on training without guessing whether the program will continue until the next target. Coaches also have more room to design training periodization. All of this leads to one thing: a greater chance of success.

Yenny said FPTI is optimistic that consistent development will produce more world-class achievements. She placed state support as a foundation, not a supplement. The state, she said, has a decisive role in making sure gold medals do not stop at one championship.

“We believe that with continuity in development, more world-class achievements will emerge and the Merah Putih will rise more often on the international stage in the future,” Yenny said.

That message matches the needs of Indonesia’s high-performance sports. Short-term targets matter, but the development base matters more. And in national sport climbing, that base is now being tested through budget support, training camps, and results on the world stage.

In Prague, one gold has already been recorded. A new history has been made. The rest now needs to be protected.