Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government has hinted at going ahead with the convening of Papua’s 2021 PON National Games and adopting a bubble system for the safety of competing sports teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
During a virtual press conference in which ANTARA participated in Jakarta on Tuesday, Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali confirmed about the implementation of the bubble system to also be applied at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“We can take a cue from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 that will commence in the near future during which the bubble system will be applied,” the minister noted while expressing sustained optimism that the sporting event hosted by Papua Province would no longer be delayed.
“With the system, all competing sports teams would stay isolated from the general public because they would merely move from their amenities to sporting venues, and vice versa,” Minister Amali remarked.
The minister deemed the bubble system as being the most reliable approach to ensure the safety of athletes and those involved in the sporting event held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) Chairperson, Marciano Norman, backed Amali’s statement while stating that health protocols will strictly be applied during the Tokyo 2020 event to be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
“The Tokyo Olympic Games will be our reference for Papua’s PON National Games. We are optimistic that the enforcement of public activity restrictions would successfully flatten the COVID-19 curve,” Norman stated.
Amid the global pandemic of COVID-19 that has battered Indonesia since March 2, 2020, the government had delayed the convening of Papua’s National Games from its previous schedule in October 2020 to October 2021.
Papua’s 2021 PON National Games are scheduled to take place from October 2 to October 15, while the National Para Games (Peparnas) will be held from November 2 to November 15.
With the participation of at least 6,400 athletes and 3,500 officials from 34 provinces across Indonesia, Papua’s PON National Games feature 37 events scheduled to be held in Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke.
Some 1,935 athletes will participate in the National Para Games, featuring 12 events in Jayapura City and Jayapura District and will have the involvement of 740 officials.
Source: Antara News