The National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) of East Java is taking a progressive step by paying serious attention to the mental health of athletes. The main focus of this movement targets male athletes, who are deemed to still often suppress psychological pressure and emotional barriers during their sports training process.
The General Chairperson of KONI East Java, M. Nabil, revealed a phenomenon where male athletes tend to hide the problems they face from their families and those closest to them. According to him, if these communication barriers are left unresolved, they have a great potential to disrupt the athlete's focus and performance development.
To address this issue, KONI Jatim designed a special declaration encouraging male athletes to be more courageous in expressing their psychological challenges to their coaches. Coaches, as the closest figures in the athletes' daily life on the field, are expected to position themselves as safe and trusted listeners.
Nabil also reminded that pressure in the sports world is not always in the form of physical violence. Mental burden due to high expectations to win gold medals, demands from coaches and parents, to personal ambitions, often manifest as very heavy forms of psychological pressure for both senior and novice athletes.
This campaign runs in line with the "Father Mother, Your Son Needs You" movement, pioneered by the Surabaya City DPC of the Indonesian Women's Empowerment Forum (FPPI) along with RSD Prof. dr. Moeljono. This synergy aims to break the social stigma that demands boys to always look strong and forbids them from expressing sadness or fatigue.
This joint commitment will be formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at the KONI Jatim Building. This movement is targeted to reach all regions in East Java as part of the athletes' mental preparation ahead of the East Java Provincial Sports Week (Porprov Jatim) 2027.
