The squad was greeted by traditional dancers, and the welcome and send-off events of the Papua PON XX fire carnival were led by Jayapura Mayor, Benhur Tommy Mano, who received the Papua PON fire from 2004 Olympics gold medalist, Taufik Hidayat.
"This is a historical moment for Papua, especially for the city of Jayapura, as home to the largest PON XX cluster in 2021, with 16 sports branches, 16 venues, and 22 disciplines," Mano noted in Jayapura, Friday.
He further remarked that Papua was currently hosting the nation's best athletes, making PON XX a momentum to reignite national competitiveness through sports.
"We should all participate in this and push potential national athletes, and we will see healthy competitiveness among our people along with the spirit of fighting and the growth of the mentality of winners in all sectors," he affirmed. The 2021 Papua PON XX Fire Carnival is scheduled to be held from Sept 27 to Oct 2. The carnival carries the continuously gleaming pure fire torch from Klamono, West Papua, home to one of the oldest wells in the country, through Biak, Timika, Wamena, Merauke, Jayapura District, and the city of Jayapura.
The mayor then handed over the torch of PON XX Papua to Sorong-born soccer player Boaz Salosa to then send off the PON XX torch-carriage troops through various iconic and monumental strategic points in the city of Jayapura.
The parade will end at the Lukas Enembe Stadium, Jayapura Regency, at the opening ceremony of the XX Papua PON, scheduled on Saturday, Oct 2.
Related news: Papua PON torch relay starts in Sorong, West Papua
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Translator: Arindra M/Aria Cindyara
Editor: Suharto
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