Four Newly-Built Sport Arenas for PON Handed Over to Papuan Gov’t
Photo: PR of Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing
The Central Government Thursday (10/06) officially handed over the newly-completed four arenas for the upcoming 20th National Sports Week (PON) to the Papuan Provincial Government as host of the quadrennial event.
Those sports arenas, which were built by Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, are the Aquatic Arena and the Papua Bangkit Sports Area in East Sentani district and the Cricket Venue and Hockey Field (indoor and outdoor) in Waibu district in Jayapura regency.
The Aquatic arena has been under construction since December 2018 with a budget allocation of Rp401 billion. This venue is equipped with pool facilities that complies with the standards of the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) as a parent organization of the international sport of swimming.
Meanwhile, Papua Bangkit Sports Area has been constructed since November 2018 by occupying an area of 33,016 meters in the Sports area of Kampung Harapan and using the State Budget amounting to Rp278.5 billion.
The compound is equipped with international standard facilities and other supporting facilities, such as atraining / heating field and a parking area. The structure of the Papua Bangkit Sports Area building won the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) award for three categories at once.
Furthermore, the construction of the Cricket arena and Hockey field (indoor and outdoor) occupies an area of 133,509 square meters with a budget of Rp288.3 billion.
The Outdoor Hockey Venue has received certification from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on 5 August 2020 as an arena ready to be used for international matches.
Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing’s Director General of Copyright of Diana Kusumastuti pointed out that the handover of the management aims to support the sporting event.
“I entrust the Papua Provincial Government to maintain and manage all the assets that have been handed over as well as possible,” she said.
The venue that has been handed over, she added, can be used as a training facility for Papuan athletes for sports events.
After the event has finished, it can also be used for sports tournament activities, both at the provincial and national levels, she added.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic is over, with its huge capacity the Papua Bangkit Sports Area can also be used to hold a music concert or other events. We hope that the entire infrastructure that has been built will not only be useful for boosting the achievements of Papuan athletes, but also to stimulate economic activities in the region,” Diana said.
In the meantime, the Papua Provincial Government through Regional Secretary Dance Yulian Flassy expressed gratitude for the Central Government’s support in developing sports in Papua through infrastructure development.
“Our task now is how to use this infrastructure to encourage economic growth and better welfare for the Papuan people,” said Dance.
For the record, the 20th edition of the National Sports Week is set to take place from 20 October to 4 November this year. This multi-sport event was originally set to be held in 2020, but was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. (PR of Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing/UN) (EST/EP)
