Government Emphasises Efficiency and Clean Administration for PON XXII 2028 Without New Venues

The government has confirmed that the XXII National Sports Week (PON) 2028 will be held efficiently without the construction of new venues, while prioritising orderly administration. The central government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, has officially collaborated with the provincial governments of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and Jakarta for the event. This certainty was marked by the handover of a ministerial decree by Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir to the regional heads at the ministry’s Graha building in Jakarta on Tuesday (23/6). The early issuance of the decree aims to strengthen consolidation and anticipate budget and governance issues that often arise after PON events. “We want to ensure this PON runs well. Well not only in its execution, but also administratively. And of course, we are ensuring the President’s directive is implemented,” Erick told reporters. The Minister stressed that President Prabowo Subianto has instructed that budget execution be as efficient as possible. Therefore, the government is not preparing to build new sports facilities in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) or East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and will only optimise and refurbish existing infrastructure. Cross-ministerial coordination will also be carried out, involving the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Home Affairs to oversee the policy. Beyond infrastructure, the ministry is also focusing on athlete development and tightening regulations on inter-regional athlete transfers. Erick stated that 21 priority sports from the National Sports Grand Design must be contested to maintain performance continuity towards the international level. The total number of sports contested may still change depending on government policy direction and budget capacity. “I do not want issues to arise later. I have conveyed that there are still issues regarding previous events where the central government had handed over the budget to the regions, but synchronisation at the regional level may not have occurred,” Erick said. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Taufik Hidayat warned that PON should not become an arena for instant athlete transfers merely to chase medals. The ministry, together with the National Sports Committee (KONI), is scheduled to discuss stricter athlete transfer rules next week to encourage regions to prioritise long-term development. “I hope the meeting with KONI will also emphasise this. They chase medals by spending heavily on athlete transfers,” Taufik stressed. In the division of roles, NTB and NTT will serve as the main competition locations, while Jakarta will act as a support system by providing supporting facilities. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung confirmed the readiness of sports facilities, including 36 central government-owned venues in the GBK complex, 220 regional government-owned sports facilities, and private arenas. Transport access will also be strengthened through the operation of the Velodrome-Manggarai LRT route, as well as the MRT and TransJakarta networks. “I conveyed to the Minister and fellow governors that the Jakarta provincial government acts as a support system for this event,” Pramono stated. The NTB government also expressed readiness in terms of accommodation, mapping competition locations across all districts and cities, and medical team support from a central public hospital that holds international certification from Dorna based on experience hosting global events. “The sooner this decree is issued, the longer our preparation time. Thank you, Minister, for issuing the decree. Thank you also to the Governor of Jakarta for being willing to serve as a backup mechanism for the 2028 PON,” said NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal. Meanwhile, the NTT provincial government welcomed the decree, which coincided with regional budget discussions. NTT has prepared a phased budget allocation of Rp250 billion up to 2028. Competition locations in NTT are planned to be spread across 14 districts and cities near tourist destinations outside Labuan Bajo to boost economic and tourism impacts. “We must ensure that our obligations for NTB, NTT, and Jakarta are fully settled before the end of 2028,” said NTT Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena. “We will make sure everything is secure, and for us in NTT and NTB, hopefully, it will be a success for tourism and the economy,” he added.