Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenpora RI) have once again strengthened their synergy in national youth and sports development by signing a memorandum of understanding at GIK UGM on Sunday (May 24). The cooperation continues a collaboration that began in 2014, focusing on implementing education, research, and community service in the fields of youth and sports.
UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia stated that this collaboration marks a new step toward strengthening youth development and science-based entrepreneurship through research and innovation.
“UGM, with nearly 62,000 students, has enormous potential for sports development through various student activity units representing diverse sports disciplines,” said Professor Ova Emilia.
Professor Ova Emilia added that future collaboration would be followed up, particularly through the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FK-KMK UGM), to support the development of science- and technology-based sports.
“Not only to improve human resource capacity, but also through education, training, and community service in support of sport science development,” she explained.
On the occasion, Professor Ova Emilia also introduced UGM’s new facilities designed as collaborative spaces for student innovation and creativity. One of the highlighted areas of creativity includes sports and the arts.
She stated that the sports facilities already meet international standards and are expected to become a strong center for sports activities.
“We hope this strategic partnership will further strengthen the contribution of higher education institutions in supporting national development,” she said.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Taufik Hidayat expressed appreciation for UGM’s commitment to supporting national youth and sports development through cooperation with Kemenpora RI.
“Today, we are simply meeting to sign a memorandum of understanding. However, this momentum represents the continuation of a long partnership journey between Kemenpora and UGM in building the foundation of national youth and sports development,” he said.
According to Taufik, youth and sports development cannot be pursued in isolation because it requires synergy among the government, universities, businesses, and society to ensure that the resulting policies are effective and sustainable.
He emphasized that future collaboration should focus not only on building sports infrastructure but also on strengthening intellectual infrastructure by developing modern, innovation-based sport science.
Taufik stressed that sports today are no longer solely about physical training and competition. According to him, modern sports achievements are built through research, data, technology, sports analytics, sports nutrition, sports psychology, and artificial intelligence.
In line with this, he expressed hope that UGM’s sports facilities could become one of Indonesia’s national sports science centers, integrating research, technology, and athlete development.
“Sports achievements must be built through a strong ecosystem based on science, research, and long-term planning,” he asserted.
Taufik also highlighted the importance of leveraging big data and digital technology to more accurately map the potential of Indonesian youth. Through this approach, youth and sports programs can be designed more effectively and deliver tangible benefits to society.
“I believe the cooperation between the government and UGM can become an example of synergy in building a modern, innovative, and globally competitive youth and sports ecosystem,” he stated.
On the same occasion, Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS), Professor Anggito Abimanyu, also expressed appreciation for the development of sports facilities at UGM, particularly the basketball arena, which has now been built to a higher standard.
“The basketball hall is truly impressive. I invited these legendary figures so they could experience that UGM has excellent sports facilities,” he said.
Author: Hanifah
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Zabrina Kumara
Photo: Firsto Adi