TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The International Gymnastics Federation recently launched an exercise program for the elderly in Indonesia aimed at helping the country reduce healthcare costs and demonstrate that sports can make a social contribution beyond providing entertainment.

FIG President Morinari Watanabe, one of the seven candidates running for the International Olympic Committee presidency in March, on Monday said the idea for the program sprang from local opposition to the hosting of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There were many who were against the Olympics or not welcoming of them. That was because the Olympics were seen as entertainment and not something essential to society," the 65-year-old said.

"When we think about turning sports into something society demands...sports are at the core of countermeasures for aging societies."

Some 115 elderly people, including the oldest aged 93, took part in the FIG Aging Society Program kick-off event Thursday in Jakarta, where the artistic gymnastics world championships will be staged in Southeast Asia for the first time in October.

The FIG, along with the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation, the country's Olympic Committee and Ministry of Youth and Sport, as well as commercial partner NTT Data Corp., provided devices to measure vital signs and demonstrate gymnastics exercises to be done at home, where the progress and health conditions of the participants will be recorded by a smartphone app.

"We'll spread the movement to all cities nationwide after establishing a good model case in Jakarta. The important thing will be to come up with data on how much medical fees have been cut," Watanabe said.

"Analyzing the data also on how elderly people spend their money and seeing how their mindset has changed after getting healthier will provide companies with a chance to develop new products matching their needs."

While it may take some time to gauge the impact of the program or make it popular internationally, Watanabe sees a lot of promise at the initial stage.

"The basis to all sports is gymnastics first of all, so I believe it is best to start with gymnastics. It makes sense," he said. "It'll take at least five years to get concrete evidence and verify (in Indonesia) before the movement extends to other countries."

"There are many interested countries who can start when ready. It will take 10 years to completely prove that sports contribute to cutting social welfare costs."

Watanabe believes the FIG's program is the first headed by an international sporting federation aimed at counteracting the effects of an aging society.

"Most international federations have events such as the world championships at the center and social contribution as something extra," he said. "That's not my view. Contributing to society is why sports exist."

"We have to question ourselves once again on what we can offer to the society. Things will gradually get tougher if we do not shift our focus."