ibnchannel.id – The Regional Secretary of Bali Province, Dewa Made Indra, had the honor of presenting medals to the winners of the 2025 Asian Fencing Championships (AFC), held at the International Convention Centre, Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Badung, on Sunday (June 22).
His presence, representing the Bali Provincial Government, reaffirmed the region’s commitment to supporting high-achieving international sports events.
The 2025 AFC is a prestigious event featuring 426 male and female fencing athletes from 27 countries across Asia, taking place from June 17 to 23. Athletes competed in three main categories—foil, saber, and epee—across both individual and team events.
Indonesia fielded 25 athletes selected through a national selection process (Seleknas), who had been undergoing a national training camp (Pelatnas) since early June 2025.
On that occasion, the Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, who was also present at the event, expressed great optimism about the development of fencing in Indonesia.
Although the country has not reached the podium this year, the Minister believes the progress shown by the athletes is very promising.
“We have already issued directives to ensure that our fencing development becomes more vibrant, focused, and supported by long-term programs leading to the Olympics,” said Dito to the media.
Dito emphasized that the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora), in collaboration with IKASI (Indonesian Fencing Association), is currently preparing an acceleration program to boost athlete performance. This includes broad coach recruitment, coach training, and the potential recruitment of foreign coaches.
“We are very ambitious in developing fencing in Indonesia. There’s a lot of potential, especially in the junior and youth categories. In fact, many schools now offer fencing as an extracurricular activity,” he added.
The Minister also confirmed that Indonesia will again host the Asian Championships for Cadet and Junior categories in February 2026 in Jakarta. This event is expected to be a key part of preparations for the SEA Games, Asian Games, and other international multi-sport events.
On the competition front, Japan emerged as the overall champion in the men’s category, winning 7 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals (a total of 12 medals), followed by China in second place with 11 medals, and South Korea in third with 7 medals.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Singapore secured the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Also in attendance was the Chairman of the Indonesian Fencing Association (PB IKASI), Amir Yanto, who expressed confidence in the new direction of fencing development in Indonesia.
The grand event of AFC 2025 in Bali proved that Indonesia is capable of hosting international competitions while also inspiring the younger generation to embrace this sport, which is rich in discipline and agility.***
