West Papua is in the middle of preparation to host the XX 2021 National Sports Festival (PON) held in October this year. The government and some authorities are working together to prepare the venues. Various unique things are worth looking forward to for PON 2021 in West Papua. Interestingly, there are some unique and interesting facts when it comes to this big event. PON XX was initially held in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, it must be postponed to the year 2021. Here are some other things about PON 2021 that you should know.
First Time Held in Papua
This year marks the first time PON will be held in the easternmost province of Indonesia. During the region selection, Papua beat Bali and Aceh and was chosen as the host for PON. Papua successfully received the most votes by winning 66 votes at the Annual Member Meeting of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI).
The Lukas Enembe stadium in West Papua will become the main venue for this National sports event. The stadium itself has the capacity of 40,000 seats and becomes the largest stadium in the Pacific by occupying an area of 13.7 hectares. In addition, Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Mimika Regency, and Merauke Regency will take part as the host areas.
10 Sports Are Dropped from PON Papua 2021
PON XX will drop ten sports. Those sports are bicycle racing, bridge, dance, gateball, golf, petanque, water skiing, soft tennis, table tennis, and woodball. The Province of South Sumatera insisted on keeping those ten sports because several sports are their main focus to get the winning medals, such as water skiing.
However, the General Secretary of KONI Papua, Kenius Kogoya, opposed the idea. PON XX will only be held in Papua province and will not be held in two regions.
No Added Sports
Even though bicycle racing, bridge, dance, gateball, golf, petanque, water skiing, soft tennis, table tennis, and woodball are dropped from the event, there will be no additional sports. PON 2021 will compete in 37 sports, 56 sports disciplines, and 679 match numbers.
Some of the sports to look forward to for PON 2021 in Papua are water polo, swimming, beautiful swimming, shooting, cricket, football, weightlifting, Muaythai, baseball, softball, sepak takraw, canoeing, paddling, basketball, athletic, paragliding, billiards, and more.
Papuan Inspirational Tagline
The tagline adopted in this event is “Torang Bisa” which is a form of common Papuan encouragement to lift the spirit. According to Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G. Plate, “Torang Bisa” is a typical Papuan phrase to show optimism, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship.
The tagline also describes the ability of the Papua PON committee to implement the event amidst the pandemic situations. The committee committed to hosting the event by conducting strict health protocols. Using this tagline, West Papua wants to show that this province is ready to carry out PON 2021 and ready to welcome athletes from all over Indonesia to compete.
Beach Volleyball on the Mountain
For the first time in Indonesian history, a beach volleyball court was built on the mountain and surrounded by trees. This beach volleyball venue to look forward to PON 2021 in Papua is located in Koso City, Jayapura City, West Papua, near the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border.
This venue is equipped with three main stands that can accommodate 623 spectators. In the same area, there is also an indoor volleyball venue. Overall, this unique venue can house 2200 spectators.
Papua Rise Logo
The basic concept of this year’s PON logo is the West Papua Bangkit Stadium which is a symbol of splendor in the field of Papuan people’s sport. Papua Bangkit is said to have similarities with Salt Lake, the second-largest football stadium in the world in India. This stadium has met the international standard by FIFA standards and also uses Zoysia Matrella d grass.
The West Papua Bangkit Stadium has a towering triangular shape similar to the geographical contours of Papua, which contains several mountains and has many natural resources. The three red, yellow, and green Olympic circles describe Achievement, Sportive, and Solidarity that will unite the people in sport. It also represents the principle of having one nationality, one language, and one homeland, Indonesia.
Those are some unique and interesting things to look forward to for PON 2021 in Papua. Let’s all pray and wish that this National sports event will be a memorable grand event which will be a celebration to not only athletes but also all Indonesian people.
