South Kalimantan Is The General Champion Of Porwanas XIV 2024

Ketum PWI Pusat, Hendry Ch Bangun (second from the left) handed over a trophy rotating general champion Porwanas XIV 2024 to the South Kalimantan contingent in Banjarmasin, Sunday 25 August. (Special)

BANJARMASIN South Kalimantan (Kalsel) won the overall title at the XIV 2024 National Journalists Sports Week (Porwanas) which was held in Banjarmasin. South Kalimantan collected 15 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 12 bronze medals, ahead of defending champions, West Java, who only won 10 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals. The third position was filled by West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) with 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 9 bronze medals, while East Java was in fourth place with 4 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 4 bronze medals.

This time, Porwanas 2024 features a new journalistic branch in the form of written works, photos, and videos with the theme Geopark Meratus. In addition, the Indonesian Journalists Family Association (IKWI) also enlivened the event with the Archipelago cooking competition and singing karaoke.

A total of 1,500 athletes participated in the 2024 Porwanas XIV, accompanied by around 1,000 officials. They competed in 11 sports divided by age group. A total of 52 gold medals were contested from a total of 223 medals, including silver and bronze medals.

This time, the Porwanas was attended by PWI from 34 provinces in Indonesia as well as special branches from Solo City. The General Chairperson of the Central PWI, Hendry Ch Bangun, stated that the 2024 National Journalists Sports Week was very successful. This is thanks to technical support from the South Kalimantan Provincial Government, South Kalimantan KONI, and the parent of the local sports. "Sports organization is carried out according to standards, although it is still adjusted to the physical condition of athletes," said Hendry while attending the closing in Banjarmasin, Sunday, August 25.

Hendry added that athletes enjoy friendly services, accommodation and satisfactory consumption facilities, as well as comfortable transportation. Athletes and officials can also enjoy local nature tourism and culinary, including walking along rivers and shopping at Floating Markets.

Porwanas ini bertujuan untuk mempererat silaturahmi, sehingga sikap sportif sangat terlihat di setiap pertandingan. Atlet, yang mayoritas adalah wartawan olahraga, memahami prinsip kompetisi bahwa pemenang adalah yang paling siap, lanjut Hendry. Ia menekankan bahwa persaingan yang ketat selalu diakhiri dengan apresiasi antar peserta.

The XIV 2024 National Journalist Sports Week was officially opened by the Governor of South Kalimantan, Sahbirin Noor, on August 22, 2024 at Gelora Uncle Birin, Banjarbaru, even though the match had started on August 21, 2024. The chairman of the South Kalimantan PWI, Zainal Helmie, expressed his gratitude for the success of the Porwanas implementation which went according to plan and received support from various parties.

"We are grateful to all provincial PWI teams who have supported Porwanas 2024 with great fanfare. Hopefully we can meet again in Porwanas in the future better," said Zainal.

South Kalimantan is scheduled to host the 2025 National Press Day (HPN), with the highlight of the event on February 9, 2025.