The runners raced along the track of the athletics field at Harrow School in Greater London as they tried to beat their opponents, passing the baton to their teammates in the 4-by-400 meters relay. Cheered on by those gathered, the runners, all members of various branches of the Indonesian Student Association in the United Kingdom (PPI UK), surged past the finish line.

The PPI Warwick team won the relay, a feat it replicated in the badminton event.

The PPI Warwick members were among the around 300 Indonesian collegiate athletes taking part in the Olimpiade PPI UK 2022 (2022 PPI UK Olympiad), themed “Embracing Harmony in Excellence”.

Formerly known as the Atdikbud Cup after the Indonesian acronym for educational and cultural affairs attaché, this year’s Olimpiade PPI UK was the biggest event of its kind held in the UK, where the association has branches in 34 cities, and was supported by the Indonesian Embassy in London and thousands of PPI members.

No more distancing: Teams from different branches of the Indonesian Student Association in the United Kingdom (PPI UK) play futsal during Olimpiade PPI UK 2022 (2022 PPI UK Olympiad), which was resigned from its previous incarnation as the Atdikbud Cup and expanded to include e-sports, academic and arts competitions. (Courtesy of PPI UK) (Courtesy of PPI UK/Courtesy of PPI UK)

Rebranding, post-COVID

Fareldi Papasi, the spokesperson of this year’s competition, said the association was reinventing itself by renaming the Atdikbud Cup this year.

The rebranding effort also included expanding the competition from one day featuring just badminton and futsal events to 13 events over a longer duration. The tournament categories were also expanded to four to include e-sports, academia and the arts, such as photography and talent competitions.

“We held the competition over a period of three months, starting with the offline preliminary round in March, [followed by] online preliminary events in April, and the main event in May, held only on one day,” said Fareldi, who is majoring in engineering business management at the University of Warwick.

He added that the in-person preliminary round in March was held in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Hatfield and Leeds, with eight to 10 teams competing in basketball and futsal. The virtual preliminary round in April was held for e-sports, specifically FIFA 22 and Mobile Legends, with the finals in both categories held at Harrow School.

University of York postgraduate student Muhammad Yudhistira Rycko won the former, while gamer “Digidaw” won the latter.

PPI London won quiz competition Cerdas Cermat (contest of wits), as well as the futsal final, while PPI Hatfield came out on top in the debate competition.

New connections: Teams from different branches of the Indonesian Student Association in the United Kingdom (PPI UK) pose during Olimpiade PPI UK 2022 (2022 PPI UK Olympiad), which is rebranded this year to offer sports, e-sports, academic and arts competitions. (Courtesy of PPI UK 2022) (Courtesy of PPI UK/Courtesy of PPI UK)

Bringing Indonesians together

Fareldi noted that most of all, Olimpiade PPI UK aimed to gather together Indonesians who lived far from home, students and other members of the diaspora alike.

“Olimpiade PPI UK is also designed to meet the need of Indonesian students to meet after [London] imposed social restrictions over the past two years to check the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“We also [continued] the tournament during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, a time when Indonesian students gather with their friends, after they had been unable to do so because of the coronavirus.”

These social aspects were evident in the food stalls selling rendang and other Indonesian specialties, as well as cultural exhibitions during the main event, which helped ease the participants’ homesickness while piquing the interest of local visitors.

PPI Glasgow member Tony praised the competition as “impressive”. “Participating in the Olimpiade was worth it, because of the opportunity to meet [Indonesian] students across Great Britain,” said the Universtiy of Glasgow public and urban policy graduate student.

“This is impressive, as getting Indonesian students [together] from various parts of the country is not easy and requires an extraordinary [effort],” he added.

Kicking off: Athletes from different branches of the Indonesian Student Association in the United Kingdom (PPI UK) take part in the 4-by-400 meters relay at the main event of the Olimpiade PPI UK 2022 (2022 PPI UK Olympiad), held in May at Harrow School, London. (Courtesy of PPI UK) (Courtesy of PPI UK/Courtesy of PPI UK)

PPI Devon member Melenia Savhira, who ran in the 4×400 m relay, was just as upbeat. “I found participating in Olimpiade PPI UK to be a worthwhile outlet for our interests and talents,” said the TESOL master’s student from the University of Exeter.

“It is also a great venue to connect with Indonesian students from other PPI branches. This goes a long way, especially for a first-time participant like me.”

Fareldi said the PPI UK planned to increase the number of Olympiad competitions in the coming years, and asserted that the event would continue to be a meeting and networking space for members of the Indonesian diaspora.

While it remains to be seen whether Olimpiade PPI UK lives up to its billing, it is certain to continue being an annual highlight for any homesick Indonesian in the UK.