Indonesia’s NPC Strengthens Cooperation to Support Deaf Athletes

Indonesia’s National Paralympic Committee is seeking closer coordination with the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Indonesian Deaf Athletes Association, known as PATRIN or IADA, to develop elite deaf athletes.

NPC Indonesia’s legal bureau chief, Satriawan Sulaksono, made the commitment after public attention focused on fundraising efforts by several deaf athletes seeking to compete internationally. He said international single-event competitions form part of the national training program leading to the Paralympics. Athletes use those events to collect points and improve their rankings for qualification.

Satriawan said decisions about which competitions Indonesian teams should attend require careful planning between sports organizations and the ministry. That coordination, he said, would help ensure government funding reaches the right targets and remains accountable.

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International single-event competitions are part of the national training program leading to the Paralympics. Therefore, the competitions entered must go through careful consolidation and planning so government support can be provided accurately.

NPC Indonesia also expressed full support for PATRIN as an officially recognized organization and member of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. Membership in the ICSD is required for countries seeking to send official teams to the Deaflympics. It also supports participation in regional competitions organized by the Asia Pacific Deaf Sports Confederation and the Asian Deaf Sports Federation.

Satriawan argued that elite sports development for deaf athletes should sit with an organization recognized by the ICSD. He compared PATRIN’s role with NPC Indonesia’s links to the International Paralympic Committee, the Asian Paralympic Committee and the ASEAN Para Sports Federation. Under Indonesia’s 2022 sports law, he said, PATRIN is the official body authorized to send Indonesian teams to those multisport events. He added that deaf athletes pursuing success nationally or internationally should not be worried.

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Just as NPC Indonesia operates under the IPC, APC and APSF under Law No. 11 of 2022 on Sports, the development of elite deaf sports in Indonesia should properly be under an organization recognized by the ICSD. PATRIN is the official institution authorized to send Indonesian teams to these multisport events.