The South Sumatra provincial government has established a U-20 World Cup preparation committee to fulfill its role as one of the six city hosts for the soccer tournament in Indonesia.
Acting head of the South Sumatra provincial Youth and Sports Office, Rudi Irawan, said here on Wednesday that the committee involves all provincial government agencies, military, police, as well as youth and tourism organizations.
The committee has been formed based on a Presidential Decree (Kepres), which requires each region selected as the host of the cup to finalize all preparations ahead of the implementation of the competition in 2023.
Irawan noted that the competition is drawing closer: it is scheduled to take place from May 20 to June 11, 2023.
“The regional committee is preparing everything which is needed, (in addition to) venue infrastructure, which has been readied by the PUPR (Public Works and Public Housing) Ministry,” he said.
The required supporting preparations concern the transportation, security, and accommodation of participants of the cup, he added.
Moreover, good preparations will be needed in case the central government designates Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang city, South Sumatra province, as the venue for the opening match of the tournament. The venue has not been decided yet.
“However, we cannot speculate, as everything is up to the central government. Still, we will certainly ready everything,” Irawan said.
The U-20 World Cup will be hosted by six stadiums in Indonesia.
In addition to the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, the other venues include Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (Jakarta), Si Jalak Harupat Stadium (Bandung district, West Java province), and Manahan Stadium (Solo city, Central Java province).
Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium (Surabaya city, East Java province) and Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium (Gianyar district, Bali province) will also host the cup.
Earlier, South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru said that the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium is almost ready to be used as a U-20 World Cup venue since the revitalization of the stadium is 80 percent complete.
Source: Antara News