A Message of Revival from the “Land of Cenderawasih”
Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said there were three big challenges in organizing the PON in Papua. The first was the construction of a large sports arena to international standards.
Fireworks adorn the Lukas Enembe Main Stadium in Harapan Village, Jayapura Regency, Papua, to enliven the 2021 Papua PON closing ceremony, Friday (15/10/2021).
Papua has made history following its success in organizing the 2021 National Games (PON). Apart from sports, the games have also had a positive impact on the local people, both economically and socially.
JAYAPURA, KOMPAS — The success of the 2021 National Games (PON) in Papua has become a symbol of revival not only for the Papuan people but also for national sports. Even though it was carried out during the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic, the local government and the people of Papua proved that the PON could be held smoothly and without significant problems.
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Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said there were three big challenges in organizing the PON in Papua. The first was the construction of a large sports arena to international standards. The second was that the arenas were scattered across four, quite vast regions, namely Jayapura city, Jayapura regency, Mimika regency and Merauke regency. As a result, Papua held the biggest sporting event in the country with significant distance between sporting venues.
Third, the Vice President continued, the games were held during the Covid-19 pandemic, which required all elements of the organizers to implement and carry out a strict health protocols.
“For me, it was the most difficult PON ever held, but apparently Papua was able to organize it perfectly. It was in line and, at the same, time proves the motto kitorang bisa [we can do it]!" said the Vice President in his speech at the closing ceremony of the 2021 PON at the Lukas Enembe Main Stadium (SULE) in Sentani, Jayapura regency, on Friday (15/ 0/2021).
"Thanks to the success in organizing the PON. Papua has shown itself capable of being equal to other provinces in the country. In fact, in some aspects, Papua is even better. ‘Kalo ko bisa, sa juga bisa lebih baik’ ['If you can do it, I can do it even better']. Keep those motivational words in mind so that the Papuan people will continue to progress," said Vice President Amin.
According to Lukas, all the organizers had shown professionalism.
Meanwhile Papua Governor Lukas Enembe said in his speech that he appreciated all the hard work of the Papuan people especially the organizing committees, match officials and volunteers. According to Lukas, all the organizers had shown professionalism.
“Before the PON, many were skeptical and pessimistic about whether Papua would be able to organize them. We have proved that Papua is capable. Kitorang bisa!” said Lukas.
The closing ceremony of the 2021 PON was marked by the presence of Vice President Amin and his wife, Wury Estu Handayani, in the stadium's VIP seats at 07:00 p.m. local time. The vice president and his wife wore bird of paradise feather hats.
Papuan youth dances enliven the closing ceremony of the 2021 Papua PON at the Lukas Enembe Main Stadium, Kampung Harapan, Jayapura Regency, Papua, Friday (15/10/2021).
Papuan ethnic dances followed, and a musical performance led by composer Andi Rianto opened the closing ceremony. Then, the event continued with a parade of athlete representatives from 34 provinces, match officials from 37 sports and 11 exhibition sports, as well as volunteers.
The closing ceremony was lively thanks to the musical performances of Papuan and national musicians, including Manggo Rap & Epi D'Fenomeno, Saykoji and Noah Band.
The entire audience also stood up from their seats in the stands to sing and dance to the rhythm of the music.
On that occasion, Lukas Enembe and the chairman of the 2021 PON Organizing Committee handed over the flag of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) to the chairman of KONI, Marciano Norman, as a sign of the end of Papua's duty as host.
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After that, Marciano handed over the flag to North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi and the Regional Secretary of Aceh Taqwallah as North Sumatra and Aceh will co-host the 2024 PON. It will be for the first time the four-yearly sporting events will held in two provinces.
When contacted on Friday, the head of the Aceh Youth and Sports Office, Dedi Yuswadi, said that both Aceh and North Sumatra were committed to the success of the upcoming PON. The local governments would coordinate with related ministries and institutions at the national level in preparing the games, he said.
According to the plan, the opening ceremony of the 2024 PON will be held in Aceh and the closing will be held in North Sumatra.
Dedi said that in the near future, the Aceh government would submit detailed designs for infrastructure development, such as the main stadium and the athlete's dormitories. According to the plan, the opening ceremony of the 2024 PON will be held in Aceh and the closing will be held in North Sumatra.
Sporting achievements
In addition to the success in organizing the PON, the Vice President also hailed the breaking of new records at the Papua PON.
As many as 65 new records were broken at the PON, consisting of national, Southeast Asian and Asian records. "In addition to its success, the PON in Papua was also extraordinary because a number of new records for the national, ASEAN and Asian levels were also broken," said Vice President Amin.
Governor Lukas also appreciated the hard work of the athletes. "The persistence of all athletes to achieve the best performance will enable them to rise and achieve better achievements at the national and international levels," he said in his speech.
Aceh Regional Secretary Taqwallah (left) and North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi wave the PON flag witnessed by KONI General Chair Marciano Norman (center), Papua Governor Lukas Enembe (second right) at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Papua PON at the Lukas Enembe Main Stadium, Kampung Harapan, Regency Jayapura, Papua, Friday (15/10/2021).
The host province made history after winning the fourth position in the medal tally. Papuan athletes collected 93 golds, 66 silvers and 102 bronzes. It was Papua's best achievement in PON history.
The head of the Papuan PON Contingent, Inspector General Mathius Fakhiri, said he would hold a meeting with the Papua provincial administration and the local KONI office to evaluate the achievements of the Papuan athletes during the PON. During the meeting, they would prepare various athlete development programs and the implementation of championships at the provincial and regency and municipal levels.
Meanwhile, West Java retained its overall champion title with 133 golds, 105 silvers and 115 bronzes. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil was also present at the closing ceremony.
Jakarta came in second place with 111 golds, 91 silvers and 99 bronzes, while East Java came in third place with 110 golds, 89 silvers and 88 bronzes.
The 2021 PON closing ceremony party was widely watched in Jayapura and Mimika, where the sporting events were also held. Merlince Ukago, 23, a noken bag seller, looked amazed to watch the closing of the Papua PON on a video projection screen in Taman Imbi, Jayapura city.
“I am very grateful that the PON were held in Papua. These PON have had a great impact on small traders like us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the closing ceremony of the 2021 Papua PON in the city of Timika, Mimika regency, was held at the Timika Indah field. The closing ceremony, titled "Gebyar PON", also featured local and national musicians such as the band D'Masiv, Maluku singer Mitha Talahattu and local singers such as Hanafi Singer, Robby Sawaki and many others.
Some visitors began to fill the audience seats ahead of the closing ceremony of the 2021 Papua PON at the Lukas Enembe Main Stadium, Kampung Harapan, Jayapura Regency, Papua, Friday (15/10/2021).
Timika resident Fernando, 34, said he was proud that the PON in Papua – and especially Timika – had gone smoothly. The presumption that Timika was dangerous did not hold true during the PON.
“I hope it will open people’s eyes that Papua and Timika can also host national sporting events. Hopefully, in the future, there will be another national-scale event here," he said. ( SAN/ FLO/ KEL/ DRI / INA /AIN)
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).
