Future Champ Eyes International Expansion, Hopes To Welcome Malaysian Athletes

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

JAKARTA, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- An Indonesian martial arts tournament that drew nearly 1,500 local taekwondo athletes this weekend is looking to open its doors to foreign competitors as early as next year, with Malaysian athletes among those it hopes to welcome.

Onepride chief executive officer Nia Ramadhani Bakrie said the possibility of bringing in overseas participants was being discussed following the encouraging response to the inaugural Future Champ Taekwondo Series in East Jakarta.

“It is still under discussion, but perhaps the earliest would be in early 2027,” she told Bernama when met at the tournament at a sports complex in Ciracas, East Jakarta on Saturday.

Held over two days from Saturday, the tournament is staged by Onepride in collaboration with tvOne and the Indonesian Taekwondo Federation (PBTI). It features poomsae and kyorugi events for male and female competitors, ranging from pre-cadets aged nine to 11, to senior athletes aged 18 and above.

Nia said Malaysian junior athletes were among those she hoped could eventually take part, giving young Indonesian competitors an opportunity to gain greater experience competing against athletes from outside the country.

The well-known Indonesian actress and television personality, widely recognised for playing Bawang Merah in the popular television drama Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, said she initiated Future Champ after seeing a shortage of competitive platforms for younger athletes in Indonesia.

“I felt there were not enough platforms for junior athletes in Indonesia, and that was what moved us to create Future Champ,” she said, adding that the taekwondo tournament was intended to be followed by similar series in other martial arts disciplines.

Established in 2016, Onepride promotes martial arts competitions in Indonesia. Nia said the enthusiasm surrounding its first Future Champ tournament and the organisers' readiness had given them greater confidence to consider welcoming athletes from abroad.

-- BERNAMA