Overall, preparations for the opening ceremony have reached 95-percent completion, and the rest of the preparations could be completed in concert with the opening ceremony
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Executive Chairperson of the PON XX National Games Committee Yunus Wonda has made assurance of the overall readiness for the opening ceremony of the quadrennial national sports event.

"Overall, preparations for the opening ceremony have reached 95-percent completion, and the rest of the preparations could be completed in concert with the opening ceremony," Wonda informed ANTARA at the Lukas Enembe Stadium, Jayapura, Wednesday.

Preparations for the opening ceremony and competitions at PON's four host cities and districts that had commenced before the opening ceremony have all been smooth, he affirmed.

"We faced no major issue, and we hope this would continue at the PON Games' host cities in Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke," Wonda stated.

The chairperson confirmed that the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Commander, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and Indonesian Police Chief Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo had earlier observed the games' sporting venues and examined security measures in the area, particularly at the opening ceremony venue that would be attended by President Joko Widodo.

Apart from security measures, the PON XX organizer has also readied health protocol measures to prevent the sporting venues from becoming COVID-19 infection clusters, he stated.

The authority has set sporting venues to be occupied by a maximum of 25 percent of the total capacity, especially at the Lukas Enembe Stadium hosting the opening ceremony. The maximum 25-percent capacity included athletes and officials, he added.

The committee has also set several vaccination points at the Lukas Enembe Stadium to facilitate vaccinations for officials and public spectators required to show their vaccination certificate before entry into the stadium and match venues, Wonda stated.

The opening ceremony of the PON XX National Games is scheduled to take place on October 2, 2021, at the Lukas Enembe Stadium in Jayapura. The opening ceremony will showcase the natural wonders and cultural beauty of Papua Province.

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Translator: M Ramdan, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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