Indonesia’s Sports Diplomacy Shift From GANEFO to the SEA Games

Abstract Throughout the history of modern nation-states, international engagement through sport has been intrinsically linked to politics and international diplomacy. Governments and other actors have strategically employed international sports as a tool of diplomacy. This chapter examines the significant shift in Indonesia’s diplomatic objectives concerning its participation in and hosting of sports events, from the Sukarno administration in the 1960s to Suharto’s New Order in the late 1960s and 1970s. Indonesia’s entry into the regional Southeast Asian Games and its first-time hosting of the SEA Games in 1979 marked a complete reversal of the diplomatic priorities that had shaped the 1962 Asian Games and the 1963 GANEFO, both held in Jakarta. The focus and approach of Indonesian sports diplomacy underwent a profound transformation, shifting from a global to a regional orientation and from a rapprochement with the People’s Republic of China to an alignment with the country’s anti-communist neighbours. The lens of sports diplomacy offers valuable insights into Indonesia’s policy shifts and geopolitical positioning, highlighting its dramatic transition from Third-Worldist and anti-Malaysian politics to an anti-communist and ASEAN-oriented stance.