400 Students in North Jakarta Participated in Traditional Sports Week
Reported by Anita Karyati | Translated by Maria Inggita
A total of 400 students from elementary, middle, and high schools participated in the North Jakarta Traditional Sports Week 2025 which took place for one day at the Football Stadium and Jakarta International Roller Track Arena (JIRTA), Sunter Sports Complex, Sunter Jaya Urban Village, Tanjung Priok Sub-district.
"Besides needing to be preserved, these sports are also very beneficial for health,"
North Jakarta Youth and Sports Sub-agency Acting Head, Adi Jaya Gumelar, stated this sports event is held annually to introduce traditional sports to the public, especially the younger generations, to prevent them from becoming extinct over time.
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"Besides needing to be preserved, these sports are also very beneficial for health. Instead of letting kids play with gadgets, it's better to encourage them to play these traditional sports activities," he said, Tuesday (4/22).
He explained, there are seven traditional sports being competed in this event, namely Lari Balok, Tarik Tambang (Tug of War), Egrang (Stilts), Terompah Panjang, Sumpitan, Gangsing, and Hadang.
He informed that there are two categories for elementary students, namely Women's Lari Balok Team and Men's Tug of War Team. For middle school level, there are Mixed Sumpitan Team and Women's Terompah Panjang Team.
"For high school level, there are Mixed Sumpitan Team, Women's Hadang Team, as well as Men's Team for Gangsing, Terompah Panjang, and Egrang," he added.
He mentioned that the winners of each categories will represent North Jakarta in a similar competition at Jakarta Provincial level.
"Through this event, I hope to discover top athletic talents from North Jakarta. My message to all participants, stay enthusiastic, work as team, and give your best so you can advance to the provincial level and even national level," he expressed.
One of the participants, Amanda Olivia (11), a student from SDN Tugu Utara 22, admitted that she took part in Lari Balok competition.
"I joined Lari Balok, with four people in each team. Even though I just learned about this sport, I find it really fun and I'm feeling optimistic about winning," she said confidently.
