Ahead of the opening ceremony of the 20th Papua PON National Games on Saturday, October 2, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo carried out his final inspection by visiting several sports venues in the town of Jayapura. During his working visit, alongside Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali on Thursday, General Prabowo assured that the multisport event would take place in an orderly, secure and protected manner.

For the opening ceremony, the organizing committee prepared two spectacular fireworks at the Lukas Enembe stadium and at the Youtefa bridge.

Despite the fact that the opening ceremony of the event will take place on Saturday October 2, many participating athletes have already participated in several events.

As a result, several provinces won medals. At 9:00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on Thursday, Jakarta still led the preliminary medal table with 34 medals, including 17 gold, eight silver and nine bronze.

The second position was secured by Papua, with a total of 25 medals (13 gold, three silver and nine bronze) while the third, fourth and fifth positions were occupied by West Java, East Java and Bali.

The Papua Games, co-hosted by the city of Jayapura and the districts of Jayapura, Mimika and Merauke from October 2 to 15, see the participation of some 6,400 athletes and 3,500 officials from 34 provinces of Indonesia.

Athletes compete in 37 events, including Pencak Silat (Traditional Indonesian Martial Arts), Wushu (Traditional Chinese Martial Arts), Soccer, Track and Field, Swimming, Diving, Badminton and Archery. ‘bow.

The sports venues inspected by General Prabowo before the official opening ceremony were the tennis court, the football field and the diving pool.

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During his visit, he reviewed the use of the PeduliLindungi monitoring app at sports venues, as part of the government’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts. He also reviewed the security details.

Prabowo called on the organizing committee of the 20th PON National Games to continue to stress the importance of respecting health protocols through loudspeakers.

Interior Minister Tito Karnavian earlier urged all athletes, officials, organizing committee members and spectators to adhere to strict COVID-19 health protocols during the start of the event.

Karnavian’s Ministerial Instruction No. 46/2021 was announced by the Director General of Management of the Regional Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, Safrizal, in a statement received Tuesday by ANTARA in Jakarta.

Respecting health protocols is the key to the success of the country’s largest multisport event, Safrizal said.

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According to the ministerial instruction, all participating athletes, officials, members of the organizing committee, spectators and residents living near sports venues must be vaccinated.

They must all take at least the first COVID-19 shot, he said, adding that the number of spectators will be limited and that a viewing rally, known locally as “nonton bareng”, has been banned. .

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the 20th Papua PON National Games, authorities must ensure that guests, as well as spectators, can present valid PCR or antigen test results.

All guests and visitors will also need to be provided with good faith vaccination certificates, Safrizal said, adding that medical facilities with health workers have been set up in some areas to serve those in need.

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The Home Office therefore works with government agencies, such as health offices, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the COVID-19 working group and the PON National Games Organizing Committee. , he said.

As part of the implementation of the “3M” health protocols, the Interior Ministry is stepping up its campaign to encourage people to wear face masks in cities that will co-host the Games, he added.

Regarding the security situation in Papua, Papua Chief Inspector General of Police Mathius Fakhiri said earlier that the security concerns of armed Papuan terrorists would not disrupt the Games.

Therefore, as announced in a statement he made on September 14, 2021, Fakhiri called on participating athletes and officials not to worry, as some 8,000 security guards are said to be securing the event.

Security conditions in four regions co-hosting the PON National Games remain stable, as they are far from areas frequently disturbed by armed Papuan separatist terrorists, he added.

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In addition to ensuring the safety of the Papua Police, the Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) -Jakarta office has adopted preventive measures by posting 20 police officers in the Jakarta contingent.

The involvement of Jakarta Metropolitan Police officers in the contingent aims to protect and secure officials, coaches and 735 athletes competing in Papua.

The KONI-Jakarta office also assisted navy personnel at Indonesian Naval Base (Lantamal) I, XI and Mimika to protect the contingent, according to KONI-Jakarta office chief Djamhuron Wibowo.

The office has set itself the goal of winning the Papua Games with 171 gold medals, he added.

The 20th Papua National PON Games, which can finally be held after being delayed for a year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, is a milestone in Indonesian history.

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