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ASEAN Fun Run Brings Active, Healthy Living Campaign to Yogyakarta

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Hundreds of participants joined the ASEAN Fun Run in Yogyakarta as part of ASEAN Sports Day 2026.
  • Indonesia’s Youth and Sports Ministry used the event to promote its GEMAR campaign, which encourages regular exercise in accessible public spaces.
  • The wider program included disability-sports training, with 115 people with disabilities preparing to become coaches or sports organizers.

Hundreds of people gathered in Yogyakarta for an ASEAN Fun Run that brought together sports communities, fitness enthusiasts and deaf participants. The event formed part of ASEAN Sports Day 2026 and began at 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 6.

The Youth and Sports Ministry used the run to promote its Active and Healthy Community Movement, known as GEMAR. Ahmad Arsani, the ministry’s deputy assistant for special-services sports, said the campaign encourages people to exercise regularly, even if only once a week.

We have the GEMAR program. Its goal is to encourage people to move and exercise regularly, at least once a week, by using open spaces at very low cost.

· Ahmad ArsaniThe Youth and Sports Ministry official described the campaign’s purpose after the fun run.

“We have the GEMAR program. Its goal is to encourage people to move and exercise regularly, at least once a week, by using open spaces at very low cost,” Arsani said after the event’s flag-off ceremony at Loman Park Hotel Yogyakarta. He said Car Free Day areas could offer space for walking, running and other activities while also reducing vehicle use and emissions.

The use of these spaces must also be available to our friends with disabilities.

· Ahmad ArsaniArsani emphasized that public exercise areas should be inclusive.

Arsani said limited sports facilities should not stop people from being active. Public spaces, he argued, should be affordable, easy to reach and open to people with disabilities. “The use of these spaces must also be available to our friends with disabilities,” he said.

The Yogyakarta program also included Car Free Day, Tour de Prambanan and training for disability-sports organizers. A total of 115 people with disabilities took part in the training of trainers, preparing them to become coaches or organizers. Arsani said he hoped local governments and other agencies, including the ministries responsible for small and medium enterprises and health, would continue supporting the initiative.

Hopefully, that support will continue to flow, because the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and, God willing, the Ministry of Health will also support these activities.

· Ahmad ArsaniHe called for continued government support for the program.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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