Jakarta Ancol Dreamland: Site of 6th TAFISA 2016 this October

This year, Indonesia will host the prestigious 6th TAFISA (The Association for International Sport forAll) Games  2016, to be held 6th-12th October 2016 at the sprawling Ancol Dreamland along the north coast of Jakarta, capital city of Indonesia. Carrying the theme : “Unity in Diversity”, Indonesia won the bid over the Netherlands during the 22nd Tafisa World Congress 2011 in Antalya, Turkey. Over 110 countries are expected to join and compete in the wide range of sports and challenges, while the host country is also allowed to introduce its own traditional sports and games.

TAFISA World Sport for All Games is held every four years, and this year the event will highlight and help reintroduce Indonesia’s traditional sport and games among which; traditional archery, Jet Ski, yoga, gymnastics, BMX racing, street football games, pencak silat together with aikido from Japan under the category of traditional martial art.

According to Haryono Isman, Chairman of this year’s Organizing Committee TAFISA Games Haryono Isman, Indonesia as host will introduce and promote its traditional sports such as pencak silat,enggrang-stilts walking, the poco-poco dance, onthel –old style- biking, traditional wrestling and  many more.

“It is a good opportunity to make the most benefit from this event for Indonesia to promote our culture, traditional sports and tourism sports activities in particular” stated Haryono. Moreover, the Ministry of Tourism and the Jakarta local government have also given their full support in preparing packages for participants to travel to some of Indonesia’s amazing destinations that include Tana Toraja, Lombok, Lake Toba and Raja Ampat.

Started in the 1960s in Bonn, Germany,  TAFISA began  as a semi-regular gathering of international individual personalities and leaders interested and working together in the field of sports for all, then under the title Trim and Fitness. In 1991 in Bordeaux, France, the organization TAFISA was officially formed and registered as Trim and Fitness International Sport for All Association. In 2009 TAFISA officially changed its name to “The Association for International Sport for All” and has grown rapidly since then with 270 members from 160 countries.