President Jokowi Inaugurates 18 Venues for Aceh’s National Sports Week
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated the rehabilitation, renovation, and construction of the 21st National Sports Week (PON) venues in Aceh province on Monday (09/09).
The President stated that the renovation and construction of several venues were carried out to support the successful implementation of the 21st PON, which will be held in various cities and regencies in Aceh.
“In an effort to support the implementation of 21st PON in Aceh and North Sumatra, since 2023 the Government has been carrying out the renovation and construction of venues. In Aceh province, there are eighteen PON venues that have been built and renovated with a budget of Rp811 billion,” he said.
He also urged governors, regents, and mayors to maintain, care for, and utilize these venues properly. The President also expressed his concern that the sports facilities, which had been built and renovated at a significant cost, may be ruined if not maintained properly.
“I ask the Governor, regents, and mayors to manage the utilization of these facilities professionally so that they are well-maintained and can be utilized for a long period of time, even for decades,” he added.
In addition to being used for the PON event, the President also expressed hope that these venues can be used to identify and develop the best athletic talents from Aceh, so that they can later make achievements at both the national and international levels.
“Utilize these venues as places to identify and develop young talents in the field of sports, as training grounds for athletes from Aceh to improve their performance in various sports branches, so that they can later compete at the national and international levels,” he remarked. (TGH/DNS) (EST/LW)