Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) has once again made remarkable achievements on the international stage, both academically and culturally. UNY students secured notable victories at the International Conference of Sports and Exercise Science Studies 2.0 (ICSESS 2.0) 2024, held in Malaysia. This prestigious event brought together participants from various countries, including South Korea, China, and Malaysia, with a total of 200 participants presenting 90 scientific works. Alongside UNY, Indonesia was also represented by Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), and Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA). Notably, 25% of total participants came from UNY, demonstrating the strong presence and competence of UNY students in the fields of science and sports studies.

In this highly competitive event, three UNY students successfully advanced as finalists in multiple categories, further adding to the long list of international academic achievements by UNY. These accomplishments reaffirm UNY’s position as an outstanding educational institution committed to fostering student excellence across disciplines.

UNY achieved several major wins at ICSESS 2.0 2024, including 1st Place in the Poster Post Graduate category (Gold), awarded to Julian Dewantara, Didi Suryadi, Irvan Septianto, and Shobirotus Soraya. Their poster, titled “Combination of Massage Therapy With Heat Therapy: How Does It Affect Range of Motion in Patients With Shoulder Pain?”, offered fresh insights into physical therapy by combining massage and heat therapy—impressing the judges with its depth and relevance.

Additionally, Lovienta Arriza, Yanti Kumala, and Wiji Nurastuti were selected as finalists for the Young Research Award Post Graduate. The study by Arriza and Yanti, titled “The Quality of Junior High School Physical Education Exam Questions: An Analysis of the 2PL IRT Model,” highlights the urgent need to improve exam item quality within junior high school physical education programs. Meanwhile, Wiji Nurastuti’s research, “Strategy for Optimizing the Potential of Sport-Tourism in Terms of the Tourism Competitiveness Index in Indonesia,” showcased eight must-visit tourism destinations in Indonesia, attracting strong interest from the judges and encouraging them to appreciate the beauty and cultural richness of Indonesia firsthand.

These achievements demonstrate that UNY students possess strong capabilities and competitive skills at the international level. Their accomplishments serve as evidence of the high-quality education, guidance, and academic environment provided by UNY.

Beyond academic achievements, UNY also captivated ICSESS 2.0 participants with an impressive cultural performance. A series of dances—including Tor-Tor, Kecak, and Cublak-Cublak Suweng—along with several Indonesian songs, including popular dangdut numbers, enlivened the atmosphere. Many foreign participants, including lecturers from Universiti Malaya, showed great enthusiasm and were surprisingly fluent in singing classic Indonesian songs. This cultural showcase not only highlighted Indonesia’s rich heritage but also strengthened intercultural connections among participating countries. UNY’s performance stood out and received high appreciation, adding to the pride of UNY’s presence at the event.

Through its active participation and achievements at international events such as ICSESS 2.0, UNY continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading universities capable of competing globally. These accomplishments are expected to inspire more students to excel and bring honor to UNY and Indonesia on the world stage. UNY remains committed to supporting high-quality academic and research activities, enabling more students to achieve excellence and contribute meaningfully to society.

Congratulations to Julian Dewantara, Didi Suryadi, Irvan Septianto, Shobirotus Soraya, Lovienta Arriza, Yanti Kumala, and Wiji Nurastuti for this outstanding achievement. May their success inspire other UNY students to continue striving for excellence and uplifting the university’s reputation internationally.