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Nine Facts About Upcoming PON XXI in Aceh and North Sumatra
WINDONESIA August 22, 2024
Workers enacting renovation of Harapan Bangsa Aceh Stadium that will host PON XXI's opening in Banda Aceh City, Aceh on Aug. 8, 2024. (Antara/Khalis Surry)
The National Sports Week (PON) XXI will be held in Aceh and North Sumatra on Sep. 8-20, 2024. The upcoming edition of the grand sporting event that is held every four years will include 65 sporting events. Here are a series of facts about PON XXI.
1. North Sumatra and Aceh will host PON for the first time in 71 years and first time ever, respectively.
Two other provinces have held PON more than once apart from North Sumatra, namely Jakarta thrice, East Java twice, and West Java twice.
2. PON XXI will be the first PON held in multiple provinces.
3. North Sumatra will hold 34 sporting events, while Aceh will hold 31.
4. PON XXI will be held in 20 regencies/cities across North Sumatra and Aceh:
For North Sumatra, PON XXI will be held in the cities of Medan, Pematangsiantar, and Binjai as well as the regencies of Deli Serdang, Karo, Langkat, Simalungun, Toba, Samosir, and Serdang Bedagai. For Aceh, PON will be held in the cities of Banda Aceh and Sabang as well as the regencies of Aceh Besar, Bener Meriah, North Aceh, Pidie, East Aceh, Central Aceh, West Aceh, and Southeast Aceh.
5. PON XXI will be held in 43 venues across Aceh and 38 venues across North Sumatra.
6. PON XXI will in Aceh and close in North Sumatra.
PON XXI will open at Harapan Bangsa Aceh Stadium in Banda Aceh City on Sep. 8, 2024, and then close at the North Sumatra Primary Stadium in Sena Village, Batang Kuis District, Deli Serdang Regency near the Kualanamu International Airport.
7. There are 6,618 athletes registered for PON XXI.
Those athletes consists of 3,941 men and 2,677 women. There will also be 3,320 officials.
8. Several sports will start before the opening of PON XXI
For the North Sumatra region, water polo starts on Aug. 30, gymnastics on Aug. 28, futsal on August 29, and women's football on Sep. 5. In Aceh, paramotor starts on Aug. 29, men's basketball and soccer on Sep. 1, rowing on Sep. 2, weightlifting and baseball on Sep. 4, as well as rock climbing and muaythai on Sep. 5.
9. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will open PON XXI
PON XXI will be the last PON held during Jokowi's presidency. The two previous PON editions held during the president's two terms were PON XIX in 2016 and PON XX in 2021.
