President Jokowi to open PON XX National games

Presiden Joko Widodo (kiri) meninjau proses pembangunan Stadion Papua Bangkit di Jayapura, Papua, Senin (1/4/2019). Stadion tersebut rencananya akan menjadi venue utama Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON) XX 2020 di Papua. (ANTARA FOTO/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will officially launch the opening ceremony of the PON XX National Games at the Lukas Enembe Stadium, Jayapura district on October 2, 2021, Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali has confirmed.

"The National Games committee has coordinated with the National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI), the Youth and Sports Ministry, and other relevant parties to ensure President Jokowi's attendance to officially open the PON Games," Amali said at a virtual press conference originating from Jakarta on Friday.

Strict health protocols would be implemented throughout the opening ceremony, particularly during the athletes' defile and athletes' oath, he added.

He said the athletes' defile would not be as lively as in the previous games due to physical distancing and COVID-19 prevention measures.

Regarding spectator attendance, the committee has set maximum attendance at the match venues at 25 percent of the total venue capacity, with the percentage including the athletes and other officials, the minister informed.

Only fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed to enter match venues, he confirmed.

"We have also conceived detailed health protocol arrangements specifically for popular sports such as football, volley, basketballs, and badminton that may attract wide public interest to attend the match. We will manage the public spectators so the maximum capacity would not be exceeded," Amali said.

In view of the public interest in the PON XX National Games, the committee earlier hoped to open match venues to public spectators, but the low vaccine coverage in the four Papuan host regions forced the committee to reconsider the plan and set restrictions on spectator attendance in place, he added.

The PON XX National Games are scheduled to take place from October 2-15, 2021, and the XVI National Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held from November 2-15, 2021. The PON will be hosted by Jayapura city, and Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke districts. (*)