Sports Minister: Preparations for 20th National Games Run as Planned
Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali (Photo by: Documentation of PR of Cabinet Secretariat)
The preparations of physical construction for the first-ever National Games (PON) to be held in Indonesia’s easternmost province Papua have been running as planned, Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali has said.
The Minister made the statement during the virtual Forum Merdeka Barat 9 (FMB9) under the theme “Reviewing the Readiness of the 20th National Games (PON XX) in Papua”, Thursday (24/6).
“We’ve been working on the preparations for sports venues, lodging facilities, transportation, and other important things. The Central Government has also allocated the funding from the State Budget for the program to Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Ministry of Communications and Informatics, and Ministry of Transportation,” the Minister said.
According to him, regional governments have carried out their responsibility properly in preparing the program, be it provincial government or regency/city administrations. The preparation was reported at a Limited Meeting chaired by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday (15/3).
“After the explanation regarding the program’s preparations, the President asked Governor of Papua, “How are the preparations going so far, Mr. Governor?”, the Governor answered that Papua is ready to host the 2021 PON,” he said.
Zainudin went on to say that his office will continually coordinate with relevant parties related to the preparations on the ground.
“Ministry of Youth and Sports has also deployed personnel in turns. We assign them to monitor the four clusters there,” he said.
The Minister revealed that the physical infrastructure in preparations for the PON XX is no longer an obstacle, including the procurement of several sports equipment.
“The procurement of sports equipment is not only available at the Ministry, it’s also available in the provinces. Regarding the implementation, I am sure it will run according to plan,” Zainudin said.
On that occasion, Zainudin also underscored the importance of non-physical preparations ahead of the PON XX. The main player in organizing the event is the Grand Committee of PON led by Governor of Papua, he added.
For the record, the Grand Committee of PON covers four clusters in Papua Province, namely Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Timika Regency, and Merauke Regency.
“Certainly, the program must be well coordinated so that this big festivity, the quadrennial national sports event can take place smoothly. If there is no synchronization either between the Central Government and the provincial government, or the provincial government and regency/city administrations, it will definitely disrupt the preparations,” he stated. (PR of Ministry of Communications and Informatics/UN) (RIF/MUR)
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