Jakarta, TEMPO.CO – Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali has confirmed that the 20th National Games (PON XX) will continue as scheduled on October 2-15 in Papua.
After receiving deputy governor of Papua Klemen Tinal at his office in Jakarta, Amali said that the government had committed to vaccinating athletes, officials, and the community who lived around the PON venue.
“PON has no problems so far, [will commence] according to schedule. The provincial government is committed to protecting the people’s safety during the pandemic, thus, the vaccine policy. Please come, we will succeed Papua PON, ”said Amali in a written statement on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
Amali said he had coordinated with Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin regarding the availability of vaccines and vaccination program expected to be carried out before the National Games started.
Meanwhile, deputy governor Tinal ensured that the situations in Papua were safe and under control. According to Tinal, armed conflict in Papua occurred far from the National Games venue. He hoped that participants from various regions outside Papua would not be affected by the news saying Papua was not safe.
“If there is any information saying the situation in Papua is not safe, we want to stress that it is safe to hold the National Games in Papua. The venue is safe and we welcome all athletes, officials, and the people who want to enjoy the games, “said Tinal.
He added that the preparation for the Papua PON in four locations, namely Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Merauke Regency, and Timika Regency, had almost reached 100 percent including venues and hotels for the participants of the games.
“Everything goes according to schedule. We hope that three months before the PON we’ve finished building the venue 100 percent. Now it is 90 percent done,” he said.
