"The Peparnas organizing committee has confirmed the preparation stage has reached 98 percent completion, and the rest two percent is the ongoing coordination for the games, particularly for the opening and closing ceremonies," he informed during a discussion with Merdeka Barat Forum 9 on Monday.
Amali reminded the organizing committee and Indonesia's National Paralympic Committee (NPC) to learn from the recently-concluded PON XX National Games to prevent errors made during the PON from recurring at the Peparnas.
"PON National Games has recorded organizing, sports achievement, and economic successes. We currently wait for their administration completion while the COVID-19 pandemic situation subsides with casualties decreasing," the minister said.
He determined that the Peparnas would be equally successful as the PON Games, as the preparation measures and facilities are similar.
The differences between the PON Games and the Peparnas are only in terms of the sports featured at the events -- 12 sports will be competed in Peparnas compared with 37 at the PON Games -- and the relatively small number of athletes (3,500) and officials at the Peparnas, he said. The PON Games involved around 10-12 thousand athletes and officials, he noted.
"I found a discrepancy between my record and the actual situation as I recorded almost 20 thousand people had visited Papua for the games," he said.
Related news: Optimistic of successful Peparnas in Papua: Minister Amali
The Peparnas would be hosted only in Jayapura city and district, and PON XX facilities at Merauke and Mimika districts would not be used for the event, the minister added.
Amali urged Indonesia's media to give equal attention to Peparnas as was accorded to the PON XX Games, as Indonesian paralympic athletes have also recorded stellar achievements.
In the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Indonesia's paralympic athletes placed 43rd, way above the targeted 60th place and a significant improvement from the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, when Indonesia only placed 76th, he pointed out.
"Our Paralympic athletes have recorded an equally stellar achievement as Olympic athletes, hence we must not discriminate between them. President Joko Widodo has also praised our paralympic athletes and emphasized that they are not different from other athletes," the minister said.
Minister Amali also assured that regional leaders in Papua province are ready to support Peparnas.
Related news: Papua para games: Jakarta contingent asked to maintain solidarity
Translator: Arindra Meodia, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
