National soccer coach Indra Sjafri on July 19, 2023, talks at Juara Bicara event in Usmar Ismail Hall, Jakarta, about the ways he managed the U-22 Indonesian team that won the gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia in May. (Jebreeet Media/-)
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n a stage in Jakarta on Wednesday, some of the country’s most popular sports figures shared their hardships and success stories with an attentive audience.
“I didn’t want to become a boxer,” Indonesian boxing legend Chris John told listeners at the Usmar Ismail Hall in Kuningan, South Jakarta.
“But my father insisted on holding boxing practice with me every evening after school,” he said. Chris, who would eventually hold the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title from 2004 to 2013, remains grateful for his father’s push.
At the heart of all their discussion, one issue aligned: These sports figures, from soccer to badminton, are calling for better infrastructure for each sport across Indonesia, including talent building, youth management and regeneration.
Revered soccer coach Indra Sjafri was a vocal proponent of this change, mentioning progress in the U-17 World Cup that Indonesia will be hosting in November.
“Everything requires long-term planning,” he said to reporters after the event. “This U-17 team will be the next line of names for the U-20 team, so I’ll combine them with the U-20 squad in the future.”
Indra’s achievements are known nationwide, leading the Indonesian U-19 national team to win the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup in 2013 and recently winning the gold medal with the U-22 men’s national team at the SEA Games in Cambodia in May.
