The Bantul Regency Government, through the Culture Office, took concrete steps to save intangible cultural heritage by organizing the 2026 Traditional Sports Festival. Centered at Trirenggo Field, Bantul, on Thursday (30/7/2026), this event brought together dozens of students to compete in the traditional game of Gobak Sodor.
A total of 84 students, divided into 14 representative teams from junior high schools (SMP) across Bantul Regency, took part in the competition. The matches were evenly split into seven boys' teams and seven girls' teams, where they tested each other's agility, teamwork, and sportsmanship on the green field.
The Secretary of the Bantul Regency Culture Office, Sarjiman, who attended representing the Head of the Office, emphasized the importance of placing traditional sports as a pillar of regional culture. He dismissed the misconception that the sports and culture sectors run independently, noting that folk games are an important indicator in evaluating cultural village status.
Furthermore, Sarjiman highlighted the challenges of the times where today's younger generation tends to be more familiar with smartphones (gadgets) rather than interacting socially through physical games. This condition is what motivates the local government to continue opening creative spaces so that traditional games like Gobak Sodor, Egrang, and Cublak-cublak Suweng do not go extinct, swallowed by modernization.
Through periodic festivals like this, the Bantul Regency Government hopes that traditional sports do not just become practical material in school physical education classes. This event is expected to restore the dignity of Gobak Sodor as a recreational community game as well as an effective instrument in nurturing local cultural identity.
