Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo appreciated the initiative of the National Awakening Party in holding a padel tournament titled Padel Kali Boss and called it a real form of political role in advancing the national sports world.
According to Dito, PKB is the first political party to hold an open padel championship amidst the rapidly growing trend of this racket sport in Indonesia.
"This is the first (political) party to organize a series of padel championships. And this is a great thing for the sport," said Dito after opening the competition.
He also gave special appreciation to the General Chairman of PKB Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin) who he considered to be actively involved in popularizing sports as a healthy lifestyle.
In fact, Dito joked that Cak Imin had a talent for smashing, both on the padel court and on the political stage.
"He's a pro. He's a master at both sports and politics," Dito said with a smile.
Regarding the tax polemic surrounding the padel court business in Jakarta, Dito emphasized that the government is not making things difficult for business actors.
He explained that the 10 percent tax imposed is the lowest rate in the national tax system, and actually provides legality and legal protection for sports businesses such as padel.
"With that 10 percent, this actually secures the business activists who want to build padel courts in Jakarta," he stressed.
Dito added that the policy falls under the authority of the regional government, in this case the Provincial Government, and is not an exclusive policy of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
On the other hand, Dito also touched on developments regarding the Women's League, which PSSI has scheduled to begin rolling out a pre-season tournament in 2026.
"We just asked, PSSI will only provide a statement next week," he said.
