From the racetrack to the finish line: world-class motorsport, marathon running, centuries-old heritage sport, Olympic-grade badminton, and everything else in between. Jump to any chapter below, then plan the practical side of your trip on the Plan Your Trip pages.
A purpose-built street circuit on the shores of the Indian Ocean, hosting the world's fastest two-wheel racing series against a backdrop of volcanic hills and turquoise coastline.
Since 2022, the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Lombok has anchored the Asian leg of the MotoGP World Championship. The 2026 edition runs October 9 to 11, positioned in the flyaway sequence alongside Japan, Australia and Malaysia, which places Indonesia firmly on the sport's global touring map.
Mandalika has previously hosted WSBK rounds, giving the circuit a dual-series pedigree rare among Southeast Asian venues.
Mandalika continues to strengthen its position as a global sport tourism destination through international GT racing series.
Feeder series and regional championships fill out the circuit calendar between headline weekends.
Race weekends at Mandalika double as island getaways. Kuta Beach, Gili Islands ferry connections, Mount Rinjani trekking and world-class surf breaks all sit within an hour of the paddock, giving visiting fans and teams a reason to extend their stay well beyond the podium ceremony.
No sport carries more national pride. From kampung courts to the roaring stands of Istora Senayan, badminton is Indonesia's most successful Olympic sport, and its biggest annual tournament is one of the loudest arenas on the BWF World Tour.
A BWF World Tour Super 1000 event (badminton's highest tier) held every June at Istora Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta. The 2026 edition ran June 2 to 7 with a US$1,450,000 prize purse, drawing the sport's top-ranked singles and doubles players to compete in front of one of the most passionate crowds in world badminton.
Badminton debuts as a full Olympic sport. Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma deliver Indonesia's first-ever Olympic gold medals, in the women's and men's singles.
Successive generations of Indonesian singles and doubles pairs, including Rexy Mainaky/Ricky Subagja and Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir, extend the country's Olympic medal streak across six consecutive Games.
Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu win gold in women's doubles, a landmark victory for Indonesian women's badminton watched by millions at home.
Badminton remains Indonesia's most decorated Olympic sport, underpinning a nationwide academy system, from PB Djarum to regional PBSI clubs, that continues to produce world-ranked talent.
Private academies such as PB Djarum operate scouting and residential training programs that have fed the national team for decades, while community courts in nearly every neighborhood keep participation rates among the highest of any sport in the country. For visiting fans, an Indonesia Open ticket is as much a cultural immersion as a sporting event.
Football is Indonesia's most-watched sport by a wide margin, and the national team's push to reach the World Cup has become the story dominating it: the country's deepest World Cup qualifying run in history, a new head coach, and a new campaign already underway.
Timnas Indonesia's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign was the most successful in the country's history, reaching the AFC Fourth Round (a group stage alongside Saudi Arabia and Iraq) for the first time ever, before being eliminated in October 2025. Head coach John Herdman, formerly in charge of Canada's men's and women's national teams, was appointed in January 2026 to lead the next campaign, with qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia already secured and 2030 World Cup qualifying the next target.
Southeast Asia's first FIFA-sanctioned tournament kicks off in Indonesia. The inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, played inside the official FIFA international window, brings its Premier Division to Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta and Si Jalak Harupat in Bandung from 24 September to 5 October 2026. Timnas Garuda open in Group A against Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh, with eight teams chasing the first title and a second edition already scheduled for 2028.
Timnas Indonesia's spiritual home in Senayan, Jakarta, with a capacity of 77,193. Built in 1962 and fully renovated for the 2018 Asian Games, it's the loudest venue in Indonesian football on a World Cup qualifier night.
A 30,000-seat all-seater in Cibinong, Bogor, opened in 2015 and run by the Bogor Regency government. It staged the 2018 Asian Games men's football final and the 2018 AFC U-19 final, and is Timnas Indonesia's base for the ASEAN Championship 2026 after a renovation in May 2026, about an hour from central Jakarta by toll road.
Indonesia's top flight, still widely known as 'Liga 1,' runs 18 clubs through a double round-robin season each August to May. Persija Jakarta vs Persib Bandung is popularly nicknamed 'El Clasico Indonesia,' though Indonesian sports media prefer the neutral term 'Duel Klasik.'
Timnas tickets require a free Garuda ID (kitagaruda.id, passport accepted for foreigners); club matches sell through each club's own app (e.g. Persija Access, Persib Pass). As a long-standing safety measure, a handful of rivalry fixtures restrict away supporters.
Run past a thousand-year-old temple. Race through the capital's landmark streets. Chase a sunrise finish beside a MotoGP circuit. Indonesia's road-running calendar has grown into one of Southeast Asia's busiest, with a major marathon on the calendar almost every month.
An annual road race through Magelang, Central Java, finishing in view of Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple. Full marathon, half marathon and 10K categories draw runners from dozens of countries each November.
Buy TicketIndonesia's first internationally certified road race, running through Gianyar's rice terraces, coastline and traditional villages in Bali. Full Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K, Aug 21-23, 2026. The most recent edition drew ~13,600 runners from 52 countries.
Buy TicketIndonesia's flagship city marathon, racing through the capital's landmark streets into the iconic Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex. Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K, Oct 24-25, 2026.
Event WebsiteRunners race past Monas, the nation's most iconic monument, before finishing inside the historic GBK stadium complex. Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K. The most recent edition was held June 13-14, 2026; the next is expected mid-2027.
Event WebsiteA highland road race through Bandung, West Java, with 10K and 21K courses through the city's cool upland streets, Sept 19-20, 2026.
Buy TicketYogyakarta's signature road race, run through village roads and rice paddies around Prambanan Temple. The 2026 edition was held in June 2026.
Volcanic highlands, rice terrace roads, temple grounds and capital-city boulevards sit within short domestic flights of one another, letting runners build a multi-race calendar across Bali, Jakarta and Central Java without ever leaving the country.
Long before "sport tourism" was a category, Indonesia's villages were racing longboats, staging martial arts duels, and competing at festivals rooted in ceremony. Every one of them is still a living competition, fiercely contested today.
Indonesia's national martial art, recognized by UNESCO in 2019 and contested internationally since the 2018 Asian Games. Regional styles vary by island, blending combat technique with dance-like movement and philosophy.
Teams of 40 to 60 paddlers race hand-carved longboats measuring 25 to 40 meters down the Kuantan River. The national festival at Teluk Kuantan is held each August and is recognised as Indonesian intangible cultural heritage.
Pairs of racing bulls sprint across flooded paddy fields, driven by a handler balanced on a wooden sled. It is a centuries-old test of animal husbandry, showmanship and speed unique to Madura Island.
In Bawömataluo village, South Nias, young men clear a stone tower roughly 2 meters tall in a single leap. Historically a rite of passage proving a warrior's readiness, it is today a living tradition performed at village ceremonies. The image is iconic enough to have appeared on Indonesia's Rp 1,000 banknote (1992 series). Reached via Binaka Airport (GNS) in Gunungsitoli, about 1.5 hours by road from the village.
Bamboo stilt-walking races from Java.
Seated traditional archery from the Yogyakarta royal court.
Ceremonial whip-and-shield duels of Flores.
Traditional grappling from coastal Central Java.
Cycling through Minangkabau highlands. Open-water triathlon off a resort island. World Surf League-caliber breaks. And Indonesia's newest arrival, a global fitness-racing phenomenon that just made its Jakarta debut. This is everything else on the calendar.
Indonesia's first HYROX race brought the global fitness-racing phenomenon to NICE, PIK2 in Greater Jakarta on June 27 to 28, 2026: 8×1km runs alternating with 8 functional stations, drawing roughly 12,000 participants from 50+ countries as the season-opener of HYROX Season 9. No 2027 Jakarta date has been announced yet.
West Sumatra's showcase stage race around Lake Singkarak, winding through Minangkabau villages and highland roads. The Ministry has confirmed the race's return to the calendar in 2027 after a hiatus, alongside a new non-competitive tourism edition.
Resort-island swim-bike-run events on Bintan and in Bali attract regional age-group athletes and elite competitors on the Asian triathlon circuit.
Volcanic caldera routes across East Java and Lombok offer some of Asia's most dramatic ultra-trail terrain, from sand seas to crater rims.
World Surf League-caliber breaks off Sumatra and East Java anchor a growing calendar of professional and amateur surf competitions.