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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Foreign students bring traditional sports from home to ASEAN Sports Day 2026

From Republika · () Indonesian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Foreign students in Yogyakarta presented traditional sports, games and cultural performances from Pakistan, Egypt, India and Timor-Leste at ASEAN Sports Day 2026.
  • Egyptian students demonstrated Tahtib, a two-person stick sport linked to ancient Egypt and recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2016.
  • Indian students introduced kho-kho and kabaddi and invited other participants to join, turning the event into a cross-cultural exchange.

ASEAN Sports Day 2026 became more than a shared sporting event in Yogyakarta. It also gave foreign students a platform to present traditional games and cultural performances from their home countries.

Students from Pakistan, Egypt, India and Timor-Leste joined other participants at the event, held at Loman Park Hotel and organized by Indonesia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports. Their performances brought together traditional sport, culture and entertainment, showing how athletic activities can create opportunities for people from different countries to meet and exchange knowledge.

Tahtib is from ancient times, from ancient Egypt during the era of the pharaohs. It is performed by two people carrying sticks. It is like fighting, but today it is used in celebrations and events in Egypt.

· Marwan AshrafHe described the Egyptian traditional sport during the ASEAN Sports Day presentation.

Egyptian students Marwan Ashraf and Mohamed Saied demonstrated Tahtib, a traditional two-person sport played with sticks. Marwan said the practice dates back to ancient Egypt and the era of the pharaohs. Once associated with self-defense and warfare, Tahtib is now more commonly performed at Egyptian celebrations with music and dance.

It used to be used in war, for self-defense. That is its philosophy, and the value we can take from it is courage.

· Marwan AshrafHe explained the historical meaning and values associated with Tahtib.

“Tahtib is from ancient times, from ancient Egypt during the era of the pharaohs. It is performed by two people carrying sticks. It is like fighting, but today it is used in celebrations and events in Egypt,” Marwan told Republika. He said the sport was chosen because UNESCO recognized it as intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2016.

“It used to be used in war, for self-defense. That is its philosophy, and the value we can take from it is courage,” he said. Marwan also described the event as an opportunity to meet participants from other countries. Indian students brought kho-kho and kabaddi, and Akhil Srivastava and two friends invited others to take part in the games. Akhil said kabaddi is connected to stories in the Mahabharata, including the account of Abhimanyu being trapped in a formation.

The event is very exciting because I can meet people and show traditional sports to participants from different ASEAN countries. For me, it is an extraordinary opportunity to meet friends from abroad.

· Marwan AshrafHe spoke about the cultural exchange created by the event.
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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