PON XX Papua Opened By President Jokowi, Closed By Vice President Ma'ruf

PON XX Papua will take place October 2-15 2021 (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The implementation of the XX National Sports Week (PON) or PON Papua will be held on October 2-15, 2021. This means that there will be no delays again as in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "This XX Papua National Sports Week (PON) will be held on October 2, the Opening Ceremony by the President (Joko Widodo) and the Closing ceremony on October 15 by the Vice President (Ma'ruf Amin)," said KONI Chairman Marciano Norman at an online press conference, Friday, 10 September.

Meanwhile, he continued, the series of matches will begin on September 23 next.

"This XX Papua PON is a National Sports Week which has important meaning for all of us. Let's make this PON a unifying sports week for the nation, because at this four-year sports event, 33 provinces come to Papua Province with their sports contingents," explained Marciano. Marciano said that this PON was different from the previous one because it was held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, KONI anticipates this activity with vaccinations for all contingents that will go to Papua, and have been carried out in their respective provinces.

"Five days before departure, these athletes will also be subjected to a kind of quarantine because they already have to do a PCR test before leaving. Arriving in Papua these athletes come in waves, there will be D-3 in Papua and they will return D+2 after the match is over," he said.

Currently, he said, the vaccination has been running 50 percent. Marciano hopes that in the next few days there will be an increase of up to 70-75 percent when the game starts.

Then for the situation in Papua, Marciano admits that the earth of Cenderawasih is indeed very dynamic. "Security in Papua sometimes goes up and sometimes down, but in general this is still within the control limits of the person in charge of local security, namely the Papuan Regional Police Chief Pangdam Cenderawasih," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Papuan contingent will receive internal security from each province. "The local police chief, as well as the local Kodam, as well as local intelligence elements provide reinforcement for each contingent to be able to go to Papua," said Marciano.

In addition, in a pandemic situation there are still several possibilities for the final implementation of the XX Papua PON. "So in the end, we really listen to the advice of the COVID-19 Task Force. If the situation improves, it is possible to have spectators, whether 25 percent of the venue's capacity or 50 percent, but if the COVID-19 Task Force considers it not possible, then the PON will be held without spectators," he said.

Therefore, added Marciano, in this condition KONI considers the role of the media to be very large to jointly create a series of PONs such as the Euro Cup, Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. Packaging the news of this PON so that people are excited to see sporting events and give encouragement to the contingents who represent their respective regions.

"I also hope there will be constructive criticism. Let's make PON XX Papua a momentum for the awakening of the Indonesian nation during the pandemic," he said.