Indonesia: Sports initiatives boost creative economy and create jobs

Indonesia's Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, highlighted the significant potential of integrating sports with the creative economy to drive national economic growth. He stated that by combining lifestyle approaches with public participation in sports, the nation can invigorate its creative ecosystem, benefiting diverse business sub-sectors and generating new jobs.

Harsya explained that community-based sports activities not only promote healthy lifestyles but also unlock economic opportunities for creative industry players. Sectors such as sports fashion, event management, photography, media, entertainment, and culinary arts all stand to gain from increased public engagement in sports.

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By leveraging lifestyle approaches and community involvement, this initiative has successfully driven various creative fields, from apparel design to media and entertainment, while creating employment opportunities.

The minister stressed the importance of replicating this public participation model across various regions to further strengthen the creative economy and establish new economic growth engines. He pointed to the 'hexalix' approach, a collaboration involving government, businesses, communities, academia, media, and the public, as a key factor in developing a competitive sports industry.

This synergistic model aims to transform sports events into more than just physical competitions; they become platforms for national unity, community integration, and showcasing local creative products. The recent 'Garuda Finishers' 5k run in Jakarta, organized with cross-ministerial collaboration and involving around 600 runners from 48 communities, exemplified this integrated approach. The event featured entertainment, food, and activities that engaged local creative economy participants, underscoring the government's vision for a robust 'sport economy' that fuels inclusive growth.

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Through solid and inclusive hexalix synergy, sports events are not merely arenas for physical competition but also unifying platforms for all elements of the nation, places where various communities merge in the spirit of collaboration, and stages for showcasing local creative products to drive the national economy.