goodmorningpapua.com – A Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali went to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to report on a number of activities. It is including proposing to make Papua a sports province to President Joko Widodo.
Zainudin Amali admitted that the discourse that was put forward based on research findings from Cenderawasih University (Uncen) academics expressed that the 2020 National Sports Week (PON) which was held last year had increased the nationalism of the citizens of Cenderawasih Earth.
“One of the interesting things is how we encourage Papua as a sports province, we are preparing it. Because indeed the results of research conducted by Uncen’s friends are the impact of the implementation of PON on the increasing sense of Papuan nationalism,” Amali said to the crew. media after meeting with President Jokowi, Tuesday (1/11/2022).
Papua was chosen as the host of the 2020 PON after eliminating Bali and Aceh in the nominations in 2014. The Papua 2020 PON was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was finally held in 2021 with a health protocol because the pandemic had not completely subsided.
President Jokowi was present to open the 2020 PON Papua on October 2, 2021 at the Lukas Enembe Stadium, Jayapura Regency. This stadium is one of the venues specifically built to hold the sports party.
2020 PON Papua was held in four clusters in Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Mimika Regency, and Merauke Regency. The host contingent was ranked fourth in the medal standings or the highest in the history of Papua’s participation in the PON, with 93 gold medals, 66 silver medals and 102 bronze medals.
The interest of the Papuan people was indeed high enough to attend directly to watch PON 2020, especially in popular sports such as football where they marry gold in the men’s and women’s numbers. Therefore, efforts to encourage Papua as a sports province are in line with the government’s spirit to ensure that venues in the four clusters are maintained and used for coaching and competition.
In addition to efforts to encourage Papua as a sports province, the Minister of Youth and Sports also reported on the commemoration of the 2022 Youth Pledge Day in the Nusantara Capital [IKN] last month.