Flag football player Iqbal Jordy Putranto (left) of Surabaya Satu poses on Nov. 30, 2024, alongside (from second left) Indonesian American Football Association (AAFI) adviser Aryo Ariptedjo, AAFI chief Pandu Satya Pambudi, Lula Maria Amanda of Nona Batavia and Rifky Adi Pradana of the Bombshells during a press conference in Jakarta. (-/Courtesy of Indonesia American Football Association (AAFI))
The Indonesian American Football Association (AAFI) has said that three flag football teams from Indonesia will compete at the MAFA International Championship in Shah Alam, Malaysia in December. The move aims to prepare the country for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the United States.
The sporting event organized by the Malaysia American Football Association is scheduled for Dec. 6 to 8. The three Indonesian teams that will compete are Nona Batavia, a Jakarta-based women’s flag football team, the Bombshells, a Jakarta-based men’s flag football team and Surabaya Satu, a Surabaya-based men’s flag football team.
Flag football is a variation of American football, with the traditional tackles made by removing a flag from another player’s waist. The sport will make its debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
AAFI chairman Pandu Satya Pambudi hopes that the Indonesian teams will be able to polish their skills at the Malaysian event as they aim for a spot at the upcoming 2028 Olympics.
“We will also participate in the IFAF [International Federation of American Football] Asia Oceania Flag Football Championship in 2025. We are targeting Indonesia’s flag football ranking to be in the top 20 in the world,” Pandu said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“In 2026, we plan to participate at the IFAF World Championship Flag Football. We hope that by 2027, ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics, [our] flag football ranking can reach the top ten,” he said, adding that as a sport, flag football had grown in Indonesia, with the help of sports science and development programs in the country.
