"We will refocus by featuring mostly Olympic sports, though this means a reduction in the number of sports included in PON," Norman said in a written statement received on Sunday.
He noted that athletes in sports not featured in the next PON can compete in other prestigious national multi-sport events, such as the Indonesia Martial Arts Games (IMAG), Indonesia Beach Games, Indonesia Indoor Games, and Indonesia Youth Games.
These events are expected to be hosted by a city or district and will take place biennially, he added.
Norman said the 22nd PON, hosted by East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara, will also introduce standard thresholds for competing athletes to improve its quality.
Meanwhile, the KONI chief urged the committee's local branches and sports associations to enhance organizational governance to ensure better athlete coaching and development from the local level.
One strategy to achieve this, he said, is to revamp sports competitions at the local level.
"Hence, those who compete and excel at the provincial level and above will be the best athletes," he remarked.
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Translator: Aloysius Lewokeda, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
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