Indonesia recognizes the two as NGOs that work hand-in-hand with the Youth and Sports Ministry in managing the country’s sports.

The KOI’s main role is to represent Indonesia at international sporting events, make bids to host events and organize international events at home. Meanwhile, KONI handles sports development and other domestic matters.

Erick Thohir, former KOI chief whose term ended two weeks ago, said the roles of the two NGOs overlapped, which hampered the development of sports nationwide.

He reasoned that, given the many changes that had taken place in the world of sports since the law was issued, it was time for the country to revisit it and make the necessary changes.

“The issue regarding the jobs of KONI and the KOI will [continue to] overlap if the law is left unrevised,” Erick said during a KOI congress on Oct. 9. “This overlapping issue won’t solve any problems in our sports.”

Oftentimes, local sports federations find themselves at odds, with people fighting for leadership positions and taking sides to earn either the KOI’s or KONI’s support.

Erick, who recently became an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, offered several solutions.

He said the ministry could pattern itself on the systems of other countries by creating a national sports bureau, meaning KONI would be integrated into the ministry, while the KOI would remain independent.

Alternatively, it was proposed by Erick and several others that the two bodies should merge.

“If a merger happens, athlete development would be the responsibility of the ministry,” he said.

Djoko Pramono, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association, supported Erick’s argument, saying it could prevent the type of dualism that had hindered athlete preparation ahead of competitions.

Tension between the KOI and KONI dates back to 2013, when then-KONI chief Tono Suratman planned to change the council’s internal bylaws through an extraordinary national congress. Changes to KONI’s bylaws were previously planned in order to strip KOI of its duties.

KONI filed in 2014 a judicial review petition to the Constitutional Court to overrule National Sports System Law articles 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44 and 46 on KOI’s and KONI’s authority. The council argued the articles were unclear and, as such, resulted in overlapping tasks between the two NGOs.

The court rejected the petition, saying the articles outlined clear distinctions between the duties of the KOI and KONI.

Former national tennis player Yayuk Basuki echoed Erick’s statement, saying that a revision to the law was listed as her main goal when she was elected to the House of Representatives Commission X overseeing art, culture and sports in 2014.

“During my time at the House, I guided the process of the law revision. But at that time, it coincided with 2018 Asian Games preparations, so we had to focus on preparations as the host first,” she told The Jakarta Post recently.

Yayuk said she supported a merger between KONI and the KOI, noting that a draft revision was ready for the 2019 to 2024 National Legislation Program.

Sports expert Fritz Simanjuntak said KONI failed to carry out its duties as stated in the law.

“I see that the KOI is the one doing the job [as regulated], while KONI has not [properly] carried out the development program, which includes training and competitions. Sports federations received no help in managing competitions,” he said.

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