By: Sabby Kossay )*
The XX PON in Papua will be held soon and the community is confident that this event will be a great success. The reason is, the committee has prepared as well as possible and all venues are ready to welcome athletes from 34 contingents.
From October 2 to 15, Papua will be in the spotlight because the XX PON is being held there, for the first time. The people of Cendrawasih Earth are very proud to be appointed as the host and this is a great honor. They are also cooperative by obeying the rules of the committee, and hope this event will be successful.
Jayapura Mayor Benhur Tomi Mano stated that the community is very proud and optimistic about the XX PON, especially since there are many international class venues being built in Papua. In a sense, their optimism arises because they see for themselves how dashing the GOR, aquatic arena, and other venues are, so they are sure that this event will be well organized.
The factor where the PON is held is very important for success. When the venue is 100% ready and equipped with sports equipment, it is certain that the sports competition will be successfully held to completion. A year’s delay of PON has become a blessing in disguise because PON preparations will be even more mature.
In addition to the venue, the people of Bumi Cendrawasih are also confident of the success of PON XX because this event will be held based on strict health protocols, considering that it is currently still in the pandemic period. The committee has anticipated and minimized the worst risks, so that a new corona cluster will not be formed in the PON arena.
The first way to succeed PON XX is by vaccination. People are injected with vaccines to establish herd immunity, especially those who live around the arena. So that there will be no transmission of corona between residents or from the community to PON athletes, and vice versa. Moreover, the athletes and officials as well as the committee have also been vaccinated so that it is 100% safe.
The people who are vaccinated are not only adults, but also teenagers. High school students are also willing to be injected so that they get good immunity, and vaccines are the right of every Indonesian citizen over the age of 12. So that when students register as volunteers for PON XX, they are more immune from disease and are ready to oversee this event until it is finished.
In addition to vaccination, the public believes that PON XX will be a great success because it adheres to other health protocols, namely social distancing. The competition will be held without spectators because PON will refer to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will also be without spectators. So it will be safe because there are no supporters jostling inside the stadium or other PON arenas.
To prevent crowds, people want to be volunteers who disperse crowds, while maintaining security. In addition, there is assistance in the form of drones equipped with cameras, which are controlled by the XX PON committee. So if there is a crowd, it will be detected and then disbanded.
The community is very confident in the success of PON XX because this event has been carefully prepared. So that athletes can compete safely and not be afraid of getting corona, because everyone obeys health protocols and always keeps their distance. All of them have also been vaccinated, including Papuans themselves.
PON XX is only 1 month away and the success of its implementation is in sight. Starting from the venue to the completeness of sports equipment, they are ready to welcome the contingent of athletes from 34 provinces. So are the indigenous Papuans. They are also ready to make PON a success and become friendly hosts.
)* The author is a contributor to the Press Circle and Cikini Students
