The Central National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) has demonstrated full support for the development of the sport of petanque in Indonesia. This was emphasized by the General Chairman of Central KONI, Marciano Norman, when opening the International Invitational Petanque Tournament 'Bola Baja Cup', held at the Cak Hasan Petanque Laboratory, State University of Surabaya (UNESA), on Tuesday (7/7/2026).
This international-level tournament was organized to commemorate French National Day (Bastille Day) as well as UNESA's 62nd anniversary celebration. The presence of the Director of the Institut Français d’Indonésie (IFI), Vincent Padare, at the event reaffirmed that petanque has become an important bridge to strengthen diplomacy and bilateral relations between Indonesia and France through sports.
Marciano Norman highlighted that high-quality competition intensity is crucial in nurturing world-class petanque athletes. He expressed his appreciation to PB FOPI and Pengprov FOPI East Java for successfully consolidating the participation of athletes from ten provinces, as well as various regency and city teams, to hone their skills at a higher level.
High optimism was also expressed regarding the future of petanque in the country. Through synergy between PB FOPI, UNESA, KONI, and French representatives, public interest in this sport is expected to increase. This aligns with the continuously rising achievement trend, as evidenced at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, where all ten sent athletes successfully brought home medals.
In a similar vein, UNESA Vice Rector IV and Chairman of Pengprov FOPI East Java, Dwi Cahyo Kartiko, representing UNESA Rector and General Chairman of PB FOPI, Nurhasan, emphasized that the development of petanque in Indonesia has shown a significant leap in recent years, both in terms of coaching and international achievement achievements.
