Maximize Sports Culture for Papuan People

Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo

Papuan player I Nyoman Nikson Ansaway (left) competes for control of the ball with Aceh player M Fahrizal in the top six football match of Group D PON Papua 2021 at Mandala Stadium, Jayapura, Papua, Wednesday (6/10/2021).

JAYAPURA, KOMPAS — Papua is never short of talents in sports that are popular among the public, such as football, rowing, athletics, boxing and volleyball.

It is just that athlete development is still run halfheartedly, so their great potential is not felt optimally as yet. The existence of international-standard sports facilities in line with the National Games (PON) 2021 has brought new hope for the future sustainability of sports development in Papua.

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This was seen Monday evening (11/10/2021) at the Mahachandra Stadium Complex on the grounds of Cenderawasih University (Uncen) in Heram, Jayapura. Around the main stadium are futsal, basketball and volleyball courts that are free and open to the public of the surrounding community.

Yengki (15) and five of his friends were among the youths taking advantage of the public sports facilities. He said the group regularly played futsal at Uncen over the last six months, ever since the sports facilities opened as part of the project to renovate Mahachandra Stadium to welcome the biggest national multi-sports showcase.

“We are happy to come here and play together. For us, this is a blessing from PON that we have felt [directly],” Yengki said.

The Papuan football team’s matches at Mandala Stadium always attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch them live at the stadium in Jayapura.

Football and futsal are the most popular pastimes among Papuan youths. The Papuan football team’s matches at Mandala Stadium always attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch them live at the stadium in Jayapura.

No other sports draws as many spectators as football has during the ongoing National Games.

The Papuan people’s great enthusiasm for football is on the radar of Brazilian coach Jacksen F. Tiago of the Jayapura football club (Persipura). He said that Indonesia’s easternmost province had an abundance of young football talents.

During his first term managing Persipura between 2008 and 2014, Tiago recruited several players among the PON “alumni”, including Lukas Mandowen, who played for Papua at PON 2008, and Nelson Alom, who played at PON 2012.

“Hosting PON has introduced four very good quality football stadiums in Papua. I hope the stadiums can be a center for coaching and developing Papuan players," said Tiago, who was again recruited as the Persipura coach for a second stint in 2019. He has steered the “Black Pearls” to winning the Indonesian premier league three times.

The four refurbished stadiums are the Mahachandra, Mandala, Barnabas Youwe and Lukas Enembe stadiums.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Papuan men's futsal team captain Pieter Everardus Masriat (center) fights for the ball with West Java men's futsal team player Bagas Tegus Sutrisno (right) in the futsal branch final in the Papua PON 2021 at the Timika Futsal Building, Mimika City, Timika Regency, Papua, Sunday (3/03). 10/2021).

Football is not an isolated example of local talents. The Papua rowing squad may have to settle for a single bronze at the Games, won by Rivaldo Tomatala/Yoab Dave Tokoro in the men's coxless pair (M2-), but this does not mean the region is lacking in talent, as national coach M. Hadris has observed.

He said that two or three female rowers deserved to be accepted to the national training camp.

"At PON, rowing races are indeed dominated by nationally trained athletes. However, if you look at the anthropometry of physiques, I see some [rowers] with the potential for developing," he said.

Papuans are said to possess a natural physical sturdiness and shape ideal for becoming a rower, according to Hardis, who said that this was a physical advantage that athletes from other regions did not possess.

While pointing to the Youtefa Bay rowing venue as a potential hub for the rise of Papuan rowers, Hadris called for a more well-planned local coaching program to help facilitate prospective athletes to reach the national training camp.

Sports observer Dominggus Mampioper from Papua expressed the hope that the local wisdom, as demonstrated by people who use boats for their daily activities on Lake Sentani, could help define Papuan excellence in sports. (SAN/KEL/FLO)

(This article was translated by Musthofid)