25 Sep Belize Becomes the First Country to Declare Robotics a Sport, Indonesia Follows Soon After
On September 25, 2023, Belize made history by becoming the first country in the world to declare robotics to be an official sport. In the government of Belize’s statement announcing this decision, the country’s Minister of Youth and Sport wrote, “By recognizing robotics as a sport, Belize is demonstrating its commitment to innovation and providing young people with the tools they need to succeed in the 21st century.” Just seven months later, Indonesia became the second country in the world to make this declaration after the National Olympiad Committee recognized robotics as an esport.
With this monumental step, the two countries have taken the future into their hands and marked themselves as trailblazers for the world to follow. These actions mark the beginning of a new era in sports and education, one where competitive, organized robotics is a central driving force for positive change in the world.
What Declaring Robotics a Sport Means for These Countries
As a result of this declaration, major changes are coming to the organization of robotics within both countries that will power the growth of STEM education and athletic opportunity. In Belize, the designation of robotics as a sport was accompanied by the creation of the National Robotics Federation, an umbrella organization which governs the sport within the nation. Now, if a school does not have an existing robotics team, they can join and work with the Federation to found a community team which competes in their local area.
Hisham Wahono of FIRST Global Team Indonesia, who also serves as President of the IFR Foundation, discussed how this recognition will help them promote the sport of robotics in their country. “It is important to declare robotics a sport because then we have a wider expandability in Indonesia.” He continued, “Right now our association has a member in every province in Indonesia. That means one message from the national committee will be sent to every single area in Indonesia, which makes expanding FIRST programs very easy. This means that we can help more people…to have the opportunity that we did as well.”
Wahono also shared how his team will take advantage of the opportunity this declaration provides. “We are looking to massively grow FIRST in Indonesia as we partner up with more companies and governments to have more teams and students experience and benefit from FIRST Events. This is all possible because of FIRST Global.”
How the Sport of Robotics Helps Students
The sport of robotics has proven benefits for the students who participate in it. In FIRST Global’s 2023 Impact Report, our student survey found that 91% of participants said they were more confident in their ability to cooperate with people they don’t know and 94% believe they gained key technical skills. An additional 87% said they were now more confident in their ability to develop a plan and achieve their goals, while 79% said the same about being a leader in a group project.
The practical implications of these statistics can best be seen in the testimony students have given about their robotics experience. One student from Team Greece 2023 shared, “All of my skills got improved in one summer more than one year in school…I made really good, fun, smart and loyal friends. People can use their intelligence and ingenuity. In school some minds are wasted because of the educational system. [But participating in FIRST Global] makes one more creative and cooperative and can offer them so much!”
What Declaring Robotics a Sport Means to Students
Designating robotics as an official sport does more than just enable the growth of robotics programs in a country, it also expands the horizons of students and cultivates a feeling of national pride. Speaking to Amandala, a Belizean newspaper, fourth-form student Kam’ryn Vaccaro said, “Adding it as a sport, it makes you look into it and see robotics as [not] just the normal coding aspect; it makes you look at the other aspect, the teamwork [and] the competition and other things that make robotics, robotics.”
Karii Domingo, a member of FIRST Global Team Belize, shared what it means for students like her that robotics has been declared a sport. “For me, it is important because robotics has been a big part of my life.” Domingo continued, “I’ve been able to learn so much about myself that I never would have known before. So I want everyone to be able to have that experience where they could learn that, ‘Oh, this is what I like.’ Because robotics isn’t just something about building and programing. There’s advocacy, there’s social media, there’s coding and [other] aspects…which is why having as a sport shows that anyone can be a part of robotics…because it pushes the limits of your expectations.”
With this historic declaration, Belize and Indonesia have not only embraced the future, but have also ignited a spark of ambition and inspiration in the hearts of students worldwide. If you’d like to see your country become the next to declare robotics a sport, join our movement at first.global/sport and get involved today.
