Jakarta, August 30, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia’s Investment and Downstreaming Minister Rosan Perkasa Roeslani has highlighted the significant potential of the sports industry to contribute to national economic growth, attract investment and stimulate related sectors including tourism.
“The sports industry has enormous potential and can bring this economic sector to a higher level,” Roeslani said in an official statement on Saturday, stressing that the economic benefits of sporting activities extend beyond host cities to the wider national economy.
According to Roeslani, the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming has strengthened coordination with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to expand investment opportunities in the sports sector, which is estimated to be worth around US$521 billion, equivalent to approximately Rp8,000 trillion.
The two ministries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday, August 28, aimed at strengthening cooperation in risk-based business licensing and investment development in the sports sector.
The agreement is intended to improve the efficiency of licensing services while creating greater opportunities for investment across various sports-related industries.
Roeslani explained that under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025, his ministry is authorised to use the Online Single Submission (OSS) system to automatically issue a business permit when licensing approval from another ministry or institution is not provided within the agreed service-level agreement (SLA).
He said that since the provision came into effect, the ministry had issued more than 250 permits through the positive fictitious approval mechanism.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir said the sports industry possesses substantial and continuously expanding economic value, creating opportunities for Indonesia to develop the sector alongside supporting industries, particularly sports tourism.
“The sports industry is worth around US$521 billion, or about Rp8,000 trillion, and is growing by 8 percent annually,” Thohir said, noting that its growth rate exceeds the economic growth recorded by many countries.
He added that the figure does not include sports tourism, whose global value is estimated at nearly US$600 billion and which is also experiencing significant growth.
The ministers said stronger coordination between government institutions, streamlined licensing procedures and expanded investment opportunities could help Indonesia unlock the wider economic potential of the sports industry and strengthen its contribution to national development.
