The National Sports Committee (KONI) suggested that Papua serve as an athletes training center after the National Games (PON) conclude on October 15 since it already has adequate infrastructure after hosting the XX PON.
“Later, Papua can hold a national training center or national training camp,” KONI’s chairman Lieutenant General (Ret) Marciano Norman stated as quoted from InfoPublik on Friday.
According to Norman, Papua was capable of being a development center for training athletes, with their competition arena of international standards.
While visiting the PON’s Media Center in Mimika Cluster at the Grand Mozza Hotel, Timika, Norman stated that several international-standard sports facilities were available in Papua, including athletic stadiums and swimming arenas.
KONI will also prepare coaches of international standard in order to produce world-class athletes, he emphasized.
“With a qualified coach, we can better develop the skills of our athletes,” he noted.
Earlier, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) had completed several international-standard sports facilities to support the XX Papua PON, including the supporting infrastructure.
The four international-standard sports facilities are the Aquatic Arena, Istora Papua Bangkit, cricket venue, and an indoor and outdoor hockey field.
The Aquatic Arena and Istora Papua Bangkit are located at the Kampung Harapan Sports area spanning 32 hectares.
The Lukas Enembe Stadium has also been built in the same complex, equipped with an Italian scoreboard, time system equipment from Switzerland, and FIFA standard LED lights from Germany, with a power of 1,800 Lux.
Other facilities include a training or warm-up field, stadium safe zone, and a parking area.
The roller-skating arena is located in the Waena Campground area, Jayapura City, with a land area of 26,520 square meters and a building area of 6,067 square meters.
This arena is equipped with several facilities and infrastructure to support the venue, such as a tribune, with a capacity of 650 people, a lighting system for the 1,501-lux track and 449-lux safe zone lighting, a sound system, and a scoring board.
Moreover, an archery arena was built in the Kampung Harapan sports complex area, East Sentani Sub-district, Jayapura District. This venue utilizes an area of 40,863 square meters and a building area of 1,217 square meters, with the Cycloop mountain landscape as its main attraction.
The PON archery venue is also equipped with a field of 10,100 square meters and a training field of 8,207 square meters. The match field is also equipped with a drainage system under the field, lighting, and sound system.
Source: Antara News