Waiting for Improvements to Athlete Welfare

As many as 14.6 percent of respondents said it was necessary to make a special law that ensured the welfare of athletes and former athletes.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Mixed doubles badminton coach, Richard Mainaky, trains at the PBSI Cipayung National Training Center, East Jakarta, June 6, 2017. Richard decided to retire as a national training coach on September 27, 2021.

Not only the athletes, but also the general public are waiting for the government initiative on improvements to athlete welfare. The public feels that providing a job, old-age allowance and legal certainty are keys to improving the welfare of the country’s athletes. This expectation is reflected in the results of a survey that the Kompas daily conducted on 7-10 Sept. 2021.

Three out of 10 respondents in the survey said that providing employment should be a government priority in improving athlete welfare, because athletes’ incomes were relatively small and mostly earned through seasonal competitions.