Prabowo Subianto, together with President Joko Widodo, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, attended the opening of the FIFA World Cup U-17 2023 at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, as well as watched the match between Indonesia U-17 and Ecuador U-17.
For Prabowo Subianto, sports, science, and music are matters of national honor. A great nation is one that competes in sports, science, and the arts.
Therefore, Prabowo actively seeks and nurtures young football talents and young scientists specializing in mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry. Prabowo also formed the CGY music corps team. As the Chairman of IPSI, Prabowo ensures Indonesia dominates the sport of Pencak Silat. As a mentor for polo equestrian sports, he has brought Indonesian athletes to the world stage to win in their respective sports against world champions.
Prabowo often organizes the Garuda Cup – a national football tournament for U-12, U14, and U16 age groups. The Garuda Cup has successfully produced several players for the U-19 national team, a team that has brought glory to the nation in various international events. Prabowo’s aspiration is for the Indonesian national team to one day compete in, and win, the World Cup.
Prabowo believes that fair competition is the best way to stimulate excellence, including in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Therefore, together with Prof. Yohanes Surya, Prabowo organizes the Asian Physics Olympiad (APHO) competition. APHO is a physics olympiad with very high difficulty levels compared to similar olympiads, even compared to the International Physics Olympiad.
In the field of education, Prabowo’s strong interest led him to establish the National Education Foundation in 1991. One of the foundations under this organization is the National University of the Republic of Indonesia (UKRI) with a campus in Bandung. Through this university, Prabowo provides scholarships to thousands of Indonesian children to pursue higher education, especially in STEM fields.
In 2011, Prabowo formed Canka Garuda Yaksa (CGY), the prideful drum band corps of the Gerindra Party. Members of CGY are selected from young children mostly from Minahasa, North Sulawesi, who have musical talents.
CGY serves as an inspiration for the entire Gerindra family. CGY has performed at major Gerindra campaigns throughout Indonesia, as well as in various special performances at Garuda Yaksa’s headquarters.
Prabowo’s dedication to the world of sports, especially Pencak Silat, is evident through his role as Chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (PB IPSI) from 2016-2020 and 2021-2025. As the Chairman of IPSI, Prabowo consistently ensures that the national Pencak Silat team receives the best education, training, and sports facilities. He even turned his private residence in Hambalang into a Pencak Silat training center.
Under Prabowo’s guidance, the Indonesian Pencak Silat team won 14 gold medals and 1 bronze at the 2018 Asian Games. This number is the highest among all the sports branches represented by the Indonesian contingent.
Prabowo’s goal is to make Pencak Silat a sport contested in the Olympics. Therefore, in addition to being Chairman of PB IPSI, Prabowo is also the President of the International Pencak Silat Federation (PERSILAT).
As the President of PERSILAT, Prabowo’s task is to popularize Pencak Silat worldwide. Under Prabowo’s leadership, Pencak Silat is now a sport in 66 countries.
Prabowo’s love for equestrian sports led him to establish the Nusantara Polo Club (NPC) at Jagorawi Golf and Country Club in 2005. This was the first equestrian polo club in Indonesia, playing a crucial role in the development of equestrian polo in the country.
Prabowo sent his equestrian polo athletes to train in various countries, including Argentina and South Korea. In 2014, the polo team formed by Prabowo won the All Asia Cup in Bangkok, defeating equestrian polo teams from China, India, and South Korea.
