By: Alfred Jigibalom ) *
A national sports week will be held in Papua in 2021. Although it was postponed for a year due to corona, the preparations were 100%. All sports venues and other facilities for athletes and their officials have been provided. The goal is for this sports competition to run smoothly.
Papua has the honor to host the XX PON. This golden opportunity is put to good use by the Papua Regional Government, by preparing everything. Starting from the football stadium, aquatic arena, and other competition venues , it is 100% ready. Likewise with the athletes’ lodging at Wisma Athlete, a new, highly representative building is available.
At the largest sporting event in Indonesia, there are 4 clusters divided according to sports. The four clusters are Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Mimika Regency, and Merauke. In Mimika Regency, the preparation for the match is 100%. In that sense, even though this event was postponed for a year due to pandemic reasons, preparations were being carried out carefully.
Cesar Avianto Tunya, General Secretary of the Mimika Cluster XX Papua PON Grand Committee, stated that the progress of all venues there is 100% ready. Just clean up the match support facilities. For the time being, the supporting facilities will be managed by PB PON for each sport.
In Mimika Regency, several sports competitions will be held at the XX PON. Among them are Athletics, Gliding, Skydiving, Basketball 3×3, Basketball 5×5, Billiards, Rock Climbing, Futsal, Handball, and Drajat Rafting. In the sport of billiards, gliding, and aero modeling, the facilities still need to be completed.
Sports facilities and arenas were built with the Papua Regional Budget (APBD) funds. Then, some are donations from mining companies in Papua. However, the donation facility will be treated as a grant for the Papua Regional Government and given again to the Mimika Regency Government.
When all the preparation for sports venues and facilities are available, then it remains only to maintain and wait for the athletes and coaches and officials to arrive. Those who come from all over Indonesia will compete with sportsmanship and show the best results. So that they win the match fairly and proudly because they represent their respective provinces.
The athletes and their companion team will enjoy accommodation and lodging at the athletes’ guesthouse as well as the KONI Papua office. However, some are accommodated in flats. The reason is because there are not enough athletes in the athletes’ homestead building. However, it is certain that they will get the same function, even though they sleep in a flat.
PON must be prepared carefully, both in terms of competition and lodging facilities, because this is the first time Papua has the honor of hosting it . By becoming the host, all the eyes of netizens will be turned on Papua. They will see that Papua is very safe and there is no interference from separatist groups, as has been reported so far.
In addition, the PON match is a crucial moment to promote Papua tourism. Viewers from Indonesia and around the world will also enjoy sports competitions, as well as enjoy the natural beauty of the Cendrawasih Earth. So that they will plan to travel to Raja Ampat or other places, after the pandemic is over.
They will see that Papua is actually already advanced, not just forests. Papua is very modern and ready to be a good host for athletes who come, and they don’t need to be afraid of the journey from the airport to the athletes’ homestead. Because there are already representative roads that make mobility run smoothly.
XX PON in Papua has been prepared 100%. All stadiums and other sports arenas are available and ready to welcome athletes from other provinces. They will enjoy Papua’s beautiful nature and very modern facilities . On Earth, Cendrawasih is also exotic and safe, so it is suitable as a tourist destination.
) * The author is a Papuan student living in Solo
