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Sports leagues across Indonesia suspend play to slow spread of COVID-19
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The Si Jalak Harupat soccer stadium in Soreang, Bandung regency. (Antaranews/Bagus Ahmad Rizaldi)
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mid growing concern over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has infected more than 160,000 people globally, major sports leagues in Indonesia have suspended competition, following in the footsteps of international leagues across all sports.
The Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the country’s soccer league operator, PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB), have postponed all competition in their top two leagues, Liga 1 and Liga 2, for the next two weeks as they prioritize the safety of players, officials and spectators. The decision was made in their extraordinary meeting on Monday night.
“After coordinating with the youth and sports minister, the LIB and [the PSSI’s] executive committee, we have decided to suspend competition for at least two weeks while waiting for the latest updates on COVID-19,” PSSI chairman Mochamad Iriawan said in a statement.
The postponement came only days after Liga 2 kicked off on Saturday. Liga 1, meanwhile, had just entered its third week of competition since the start of the season on Feb. 29.
“We also postponed futsal competition, the women’s soccer league and the training camp for the Under-19 national team. For the U-16 national team, we cut short their training programs and have already sent the players and officials back to their homes," Iriawan said.
The PSSI is now designing a mitigation plan and assessing how the outbreak might affect the future of the league following the two-week suspension.
It is also ready to assist the LIB in discussing the global pandemic with a number of international leagues, especially those in Southeast Asia.
Well aware of the financial losses the soccer clubs are likely to suffer as a result of the pause on competition, the PSSI promised to help the LIB in calculating the losses of each member club.
“Several other countries have made stern decisions to halt their soccer competitions. Malaysia and Thailand have postponed their soccer leagues. Similar measures were also taken in China, Japan and South Korea,” PSSI deputy chief and LIB director Cucu Somantri said.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has repeatedly called for people to limit movement and adhere to social distancing recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus in the country, where there were at least 172 confirmed cases as of Tuesday.
The Indonesian Volleyball Association (PBVSI) relocated all remaining matches of the national volleyball league, Proliga, from various places in Java to Sentul in Bogor, West Java, to minimize risks.
This includes matches that were supposed to be held in Central Java's Surakarta, where the local administration declared an extraordinary occurrence (KLB) status following the death of a COVID-19 patient in the region last week.
Plans remain in place for Proliga competition to run according to schedule throughout April. All future matches would be staged without spectators, Proliga director Hanny Surkatty said in a statement on Monday.
The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) was the first league to halt competition. It announced the decision on Friday, only hours before a meeting hosted by the Youth and Sports Ministry to discuss the impact of COVID-19 with sports associations and sports league operators.
The meeting failed to produce a solution on whether to postpone or cancel all competition nationwide, with Minister Zainudin Amali leaving the decision to the discretion of each association. The ministry would instead design a protocol on how to handle the spread of COVID-19 in the sporting world.
The ministry’s head of international sports achievements, Yayan Rubaeni, said that the protocol was still being drafted as of Tuesday.
Badminton players returning from international sporting events, including the recently concluded All England tournament, will be isolated upon arrival in Indonesia, according to the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).
All England champions Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti are among the 24 athletes, coaches and officials who are required to self-quarantine at the PBSI’s training center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, for 14 days after returning from Birmingham, the United Kingdom.
These athletes may only leave Cipayung for emergency purposes after obtaining permits from their coaches and the association’s doctors.
PBSI secretary-general Achmad Budiharto said they would be provided with a special training program designed for their quarantine.
