Three provinces vying 2008 National Games
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Central Java, East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi provinces were in the running for the right to host the 2008 National Games (PON), the National Sports Council (KONI) announced here on Thursday.
The three candidates are expected to put their individual cases at KONI's annual meeting, to be held in Jakarta on Jan. 30 and 31.
The meeting, to be attended by representatives of sports organizations and KONI's provincial chapters, will be an opportunity for the three hopeful candidates to promote their bids.
KONI's spokesman, Ahmed Solihin, said that authorities from the three provinces had each notified the organization of their intention to mount a bid.
"East Kalimantan's bid committee members paid a visit to KONI yesterday (Wednesday). We applaud their plan and expect them to start preparing their facilities," Ahmed said.
He said that a final decision on the hosting of the 2008 PON was likely to be made at the 2003 National Sports Convention, where the appointment of a new KONI chairman would also be on the agenda.
Central Java, with Semarang as its capital city, was in the running to host the 2004 Games but was beaten out by South Sumatra.
The last installment of the national sports tournament was held in East Java with the host team coming out as the overall winner, dethroning Jakarta, which had dominated the national sporting scene for more than two decades.
The 2000 National Games also saw the country's sporting showcase being staged outside Jakarta.
Central Java is now back in the hunt for hosting rights, with its bid team set to utilize the psychological incentive that it can't afford to lose for a second time.
The province, which boasts strength in track and field, has a better record in the four-yearly national sporting showcase than South Sulawesi and East Kalimantan.
Meanwhile, the South Sumatra capital of Palembang is gearing up for the 2004 event with its plans to build a sports complex, which will have a stadium as its centerpiece. The construction of the stadium will begin next month.
The stadium will stand on a 40-hectare site in the Jakabering area, according to Governor Rosihan Arsyad as reported by Antara on Thursday.
Other facilities to be built next to the stadium include the athletes' compound, a sports hall for gymnastics and squash and another for badminton, roller-skating, archery and beach volleyball.
Construction is expected to finish in early 2004.