Legacy of the past: Chinese Indonesian sporting achievements during the Sukarno era

In contemporary times, Chinese Indonesian participation in sport is primarily associated with badminton. Less well known, however, is the prominent role Chinese Indonesians played—before the advent of the New Order—on the wider Indonesian sports scene. For many years they maintained an almost absolute domination in weightlifting and basketball, while enjoying prominence in water sports, lawn tennis, table tennis, and further sports disciplines. This article aims to investigate the determinants influencing their prominent role on the Indonesian sports scene during those periods. It will examine the colonial roots—the prevailing economic and sociopolitical system inherent to the Dutch East Indies—that might have provided a foundational basis for their significant performance in later years. The article will also investigate the political environment manifest during the Sukarno era—one that facilitated Chinese Indonesians’ enthusiastic participation and achievement in sport. The study is based primarily on official documentation, the print media, as well as the testimonies and insights of more than a dozen former Chinese sports champions—now mostly in their seventies.