PAPUA – Chairman of the South Papua Student Sports Development Agency Soleman Jambormias on behalf of the Acting Governor of South Papua launched the Papua Sports Week SMA or SMK throughout South Papua in 2024 at Merauke Mandala Park. This Student Sports Week is the first event held after South Papua was divided into a New Autonomous Region (DOB) and the purpose of this event is as a means of evaluating the implementation of student sports coaching in the South Papua region towards Pre Popnas in 2024 and Popnas in 2025.
As a qualifying round for eight sports to follow the Pre POPNAS in 2024 or POPNAS XVII in 2025 and as a medium to foster, maintain and mobilize student unity.
The opening of the Student Sports Week began with a long march and leisurely walk of Student Sports Week participants from the South Papua Governor’s Office to Mandala Park which was released by the Secretary of South Papua, Maddaremmeng.
Chairman of the Papua Sports Week Committee Mozes Maniagasi said that this inaugural Papua Sports Week was a selection event to take part in the Pre Popnas in Ternate and the number of Papua Sports Week participants for Merauke 1,000 participants, Asmat 42 participants, Mappi 53 participants and Boven Digoel 121 participants, a total of 1,216 participants.
Papua Sports Week competes in 8 sports, namely:
- Badminton Men and Women,
- Men’s and Women’s Volleyball,
- Beach Volleyball Men and Women,
- Men’s and Women’s Tennis,
- Men and Women Boxing,
- Men’s and Women’s Basketball,
- Men’s Soccer,
- Men’s Sepak Takraw.
South Papua as a new province and the first to organize this event with the aim of establishing true brotherhood for all students in South Papua and the main thing is to have a commitment to advancing South Papua sports and being able to appear at the National Level.
“The results of the Papua Sports Week will give birth to athletes that we are ready to take to pre Popnas in Ternate and then continue to follow the Popnas organizers in NTT 2025, for that athletes who excel in the Papua Sports Week will be further fostered by entrusting them to high schools or vocational schools in Merauke City to prepare for pre Popnas and Popnas, let’s maintain security, sportsmanship and ready to lose or win. We thank you for the support of Teachers and Principals who send their students to participate in the 2024 Papua Sports Week, let’s improve sports as a unifying vehicle in building a better South Papua in the future,“ said Soleman.
The Papua Sports Week event in South Papua Province will be routinely held in rotation in 4 districts (Merauke, Mappi, Asmat and Boven Digoel) and the next Papua Sports Week event in Asmat Regency will be the host.