Papua PON will be held with a limited audience

The holding of the XX Papua National Sports Week (PON) which is scheduled to be held on October 2-15, 2021, is likely to be held with spectators present, this was stated directly by the Secretariat of the Minister of Youth and Sports (Sesmenpora) Gatot S Dewa Broto.

Gatot explained that the decision was taken by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo in a working meeting with a number of ministers including the Ministry of Youth and Sports regarding the preparation of the XX Papua PON some time ago.

"According to the direction of the President, Papua doesn't know yet when there will be a PON and this is a dream come true. So the audience will be allowed but the number is limited," explained Gatot at the Merdeka Barat 9 Forum event, Thursday (2/9).

"And we think that PON will be an ideal entertainment for people in Papua," he added.

With the ongoing pandemic conditions in Indonesia, Gatot said that currently all stakeholders are still trying to find the right formula so that decisions regarding audience attendance will not lead to new Covid-19 clusters.

"We have also collaborated with the Covid-19 Task Force, both central and regional, so that they really implement strict health protocols but remain polite," explained Gatot.

"Essentially, as an entry requirement (PON venue), we require viewers to have been vaccinated and show non-reactive antigen results and are only allowed to watch," he explained.

In addition to being required to show a vaccine card and non-reactive antigen test results, Gatot also said that later on, spectators would also be required to wear masks and keep their distance from other spectators.

Meanwhile, regarding the preparation of the match venue, Gatot emphasized that the match venue was 100 percent complete and ready to be used in October.

"From the venue side, all 100 percent of the construction has been completed, which is financed by funding from the APBN and APBD. This will be the PON with the most spectacular venue construction," he said.

SOURCE: https://mediaindonesia.com/olahraga/429843/pon-papua-akan-digelar-dengan-penonton-limited