Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON), or the National Sports Week, is a sports event held every four years. Athletes from all provinces in Indonesia compete to represent their respective regions. In 2024, PON will be held from 8-20 September 2024 in two locations, Aceh and North Sumatra, on the island of Sumatra. Before discussing more about the PON XXI 2024, let’s first learn about the brief history of PON.
PON was first held in 1948, three years after Indonesia’s independence. At that time, Indonesia was still struggling to defend its independence. Even so, Indonesia still wanted to participate in the international sports event, the Olympics, held in London in 1948.
Unfortunately, Persatuan Olahraga Republik Indonesia (PORI), the Indonesian sports association, which oversaw various types of sports in Indonesia, was not recognized internationally because it was not yet a member of an international federation. To prevent the enthusiastic athletes from feeling disappointed from not taking part in the Olympics and to keep their spirits high, an emergency conference was held by PORI on 2-3 May 1948 in Solo.
The conference decided to hold the first PON, from 8-12 September 1948 in Solo. Thereafter, PON would be held every two years until it was later changed to every four years since 1953. Despite the unstable political and security conditions, PON I was held smoothly and was warmly welcomed by the enthusiastic Indonesian public.
PON XXI, held in 2024 is quite special because it is the first time PON will be held in two provinces. Previously, this sports event was only organized in locations within one province. This will make PON XXI different from the previous ones, and it requires more thorough preparation to avoid any issues during the event.
Currently, both the North Sumatra and Aceh Provinces continue to make meticulous preparations for the smooth running of this national-scale sports event. It is hoped that all athletes can enjoy the best facilities provided by the committee and can compete with optimum performance while representing their respective provinces.
At PON XXI 2024, it is estimated that there will be thousands of athletes competing to represent their provinces. The total number of sports to be competed in is 64, with 33 sports competed in Aceh and 34 sports competed in North Sumatra. Here is the list of sports to be competed:
33 Sports in Aceh:
Aero sports, fencing, weightlifting, powerlifting, rafting, baseball or softball, equestrian, basketball, handball, bridge, rowing, hapkido, judo, kempo, korfball, kurash, sailing, shooting, muay thai, archery, rock climbing, petanque, rugby, diving, surfing, soccer, kick volleyball, roller skating, soft tennis, tarung derajat, tennis, triathlon, and woodball.
34 Sports in North Sumatra:
Aquatics, athletics, cycling, lion dance, equestrian, motor racing, billiards, bodybuilding, volleyball, bowling, badminton, chess, cricket, dance, marching band, e-sports, gateball, golf, wrestling, hockey, jujitsu, kabaddi, karate, kickboxing, pencak silat, sambo, gymnastics, soccer and futsal, water skiing, squash, taekwondo, table tennis, boxing, and wushu.
That was an overview of PON XXI, which will be held in 2024. If you are excited to support your local athletes living in the competition, plan your trip to Aceh or North Sumatra for early September! And, make sure to purchase Domestic Travel Insurance from MSIG Indonesia before you travel. Even though your trip is only within the country, risks can still happen. So, make sure your trip is protected with insurance.
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