The announcer called out Indonesia's name — twice. At the 9th Ocean Cheerleading Championship (OCC) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 13 young athletes from ICC All-Stars walked away with third place in not one, but two categories: Team Junior Level 1 and Doubles Level 3.
The competition took place on April 3, 2026, at a venue where the air smelled of sports chalk and competition nerves. Six countries lined up on the floor, including strong regional rivals Japan and Korea.

What is ICC All-Stars and who are they?

ICC All-Stars is an Indonesian cheerleading club representing Jakarta at international competitions. The team that competed in Taiwan consisted of 13 young athletes, coached by Michael De Fretes as head coach and Farah Febriyanti as assistant coach — who also traveled and competed in Taiwan alongside the team.
Before flying out, the team received an official send-off from the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov DKI Jakarta), a sign that their participation carried not just personal ambition, but regional pride.

Why does this result matter?

Finishing third in two separate categories against countries with far older cheerleading programs is not a small thing. Japan and Korea have been sending teams to international cheer competitions for decades. Indonesia's ICC All-Stars — a group of kids — stood on the same podium.
The achievement, in plain terms: it's proof that young Indonesian talent can compete globally when given structure, coaching, and support.
How did they prepare, and what's next for Indonesian cheerleading?
Details on their training regime aren't public, but the result speaks clearly. Two coaches, 13 athletes, one trip — and two trophies came back. Cheerleading in Indonesia is still a growing sport, largely driven by school clubs and private academies in big cities like Jakarta and Bandung.
What ICC All-Stars just did is exactly the kind of story that recruits the next generation. A kid in Bandung watching this on Instagram might sign up for their first cheer class this week.
The counterintuitive part? Cheerleading as a competitive sport is still largely invisible in mainstream Indonesian sports media. Most national sports coverage goes to badminton, football, and martial arts. Yet here, quietly, a group of Jakarta kids went to Taiwan and won.

Where can I follow ICC All-Stars?

The team's story was covered by Good News From Indonesia (GNFI), one of Indonesia's most-read positive news platforms, and shared widely on Instagram. The original post gathered 480 likes and quickly circulated among the local sports and parenting communities.