Source: “Prabowo: Rekam Foto Sang Patriot,” pages 48-67
Prabowo Subianto, alongside President Joko Widodo and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, witnessed the opening of the FIFA World Cup U-17 2023 at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, which also featured a match between Indonesia U-17 and Ecuador U-17.
For Prabowo, sports, science, and musical arts are matters of national pride. A great nation competes in sports, science, and the arts.
Thus, Prabowo actively scouts and nurtures young talents in football, and in the scientific fields of mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry. He also founded the CGY Music Corps. As the General Chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI), Prabowo ensures Indonesia excels in the martial art of pencak silat. As a patron of polo, he has taken Indonesian athletes to the global stage to compete in what is traditionally known as the sport of kings.
Prabowo frequently organizes the Garuda Cup, a national football tournament for the U-12, U14, and U16 age groups. The Garuda Cup has successfully graduated several players to the national U-19 team, which has brought glory to the nation in various international arenas. Prabowo dreams that the national team will one day compete in and win the FIFA World Cup.
Prabowo believes that fair competition is the best way to foster achievement, including in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Therefore, along with Prof. Yohanes Surya, he hosts the Asian Physics Olympiad (APHO), a highly challenging competition compared to other Olympiads, including the International Physics Olympiad.
Prabowo’s passion for education led him to establish the National Education Foundation in 1991. This foundation oversees the National University of the Republic of Indonesia (UKRI), located in Bandung. Prabowo provides scholarships to thousands of Indonesian students, primarily in STEM fields.
In 2011, Prabowo founded the Canka Garuda Yaksa (CGY), the proud drum corps of the Gerindra Party. Members are mostly talented young musicians from Minahasa, North Sulawesi.
CGY serves as a morale booster for the Gerindra family and has performed in major Gerindra campaigns across Indonesia and special events at the Garuda Yaksa complex.
Prabowo’s dedication to sports, particularly pencak silat, is evident in his roles as the Chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) for the 2016-2020 and 2021-2025 terms. As chairman, he ensures the national pencak silat team receives top-notch education, training, and facilities. He even transformed his Hambalang residence into a sports training center.
Under Prabowo’s guidance, the Indonesian pencak silat team achieved 14 golds and one bronze at the 2018 ASIAN Games, the highest tally among all participating Indonesian teams.
Prabowo’s ambition is to make pencak silat an Olympic sport. To that end, he also serves as President of the International Pencak Silat Federation (PERSILAT), working to popularize the sport globally. Under his leadership, pencak silat is now recognized in 66 countries.
Prabowo’s passion for equestrian sports led him to establish the Nusantara Polo Club (NPC) at the Jagorawi Golf and Country Club in 2005, the first of its kind in Indonesia. He sends NPC athletes to train in countries like Argentina and South Korea. In 2014, the NPC team won the All Asia Cup in Bangkok, defeating China, India, and South Korea teams.
