Central and West Java Shine in Pencak Silat as POMNas 2025 Kicks Off

A total of 108 pencak silat matches were held on the first day of the 19th National Student Sports Week (POMNas XIX) 2025, Tuesday (23/9), at the KH. Ahmad Dahlan Edutorium, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS).

Haris Nugroho, Technical Delegate (TD) for Pencak Silat at POMNas 2025, explained that the competition was divided into three sessions. “The first day is still the preliminary stage with a total of 108 matches featuring both the fighting and artistic categories,” he said when met during the event.

Haris added that the pencak silat branch was joined by 384 athletes from 36 provinces across Indonesia. Almost every province sent its best delegation. According to him, the participation of hundreds of athletes demonstrates the strong spirit of students in preserving and promoting this traditional Indonesian martial art.

For match updates in the pencak silat branch of POMNas 2025, visit the website https://simpora.desnet.id/

Amar Abdullah, IT Officer for the competition, stated that half of the participants competing today managed to advance to the next stage. “Around 54 athletes have moved forward, although some received byes and are waiting for their turn to compete,” he explained.

The contingents from Central Java, West Java, and Jakarta remain dominant in the first day’s matches and have qualified for the next round. However, Amar stressed that the quality of athletes from different regions is now more evenly matched.

“The development of pencak silat is now widespread, so surprises in the coming days are very likely to happen,” he added.

The contested classes consist of men’s categories (classes A to I) and women’s categories (classes A to F), including an additional under 45 kilograms class. For detailed match results, Amar said the public can access updates online via https://simpora.desnet.id/

Writer: Fika Annisa Solihah

Editor: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid