Atlet Diingatkan Fokus Bela Kepentingan Papua

Selain iven olahraga PON XX Papua, di tahun 2021 mendatang, para atlet berstatus pelatnas mendapat undangan memperkuat kontingen Indonesia pada Sea Games Vietnam serta Piala Dunia U-20.

Menyikapi hal demikian, Sekretaris Umum KONI Papua Kenius Kogoya, meminta para atlet bumi cenderawasih yang berstatus pelatnas, agar hanya fokus membela kepentingan Papua pada PON XX  tahun depan. 

Sebab bakal sulit bagi atlet tersebut untuk berprestasi, mengingat iven PON dan Sea Games, dihelat dalam waktu sangat berdekatan.

“Sudah ada atlet kita yang dipanggil pelatnas untuk Sea Games. Diantaranya renang, selam, dayung bahkan untuk Olimpiade juga”. 

“Kalau Sea Games kita belum berani setujui karena waktunya sangat mepet. Sebab kalau sudah ikut PON masa recoverynya sangat sedikit untuk ikut di Sea Games,” kata Kenius. 

Pelaksanaan PON XX Papua sendiri telah disepakati oleh pihak KONI Pusat, dilangsungkan pada Oktober 2021. Sementara Sea Games Tokyo, akan berlangsung di bulan November 2021 mendatang. 

Oleh karenanya, ia meminta para atlet yang membela Papua untuk harus memilih salah satu dari dua iven itu.

“Dan pasti kami di KONI Papua akan mengarahkan mereka untuk all out di PON. Untuk berikutnya dia mau kemana, kita persilahkan. Tapi intinya semua atlet Papua harus fokus dulu membela tuan rumah Papua di iven PON,” tegas ia.

In addition to National Sports Week XX Papua in 2021, national athletes received invitations to strengthen the Indonesian contingent at the Vietnam Sea Games as well as the U-20 World Cup.

The General Secretary of Indonesian National Sports Committee Kenius Kogoya called on the national athletes to focus only on defending Papua's interests in National Sports Week XX next year.

It will be difficult for these athletes to excel having the National Sports Week and Sea Games in a very near time.

"There are already our athletes who have been summoned by the National Team for the Sea Games. Among them are swimming, diving, rowing and even for the Olympics as well".

"We don't have the courage to agree to the Sea Games because the time is very tight, if you have joined National Sports Week, there will be very few recovery times to participate in the Sea Games," said Kenius.

The implementation of National Sports Week XX Papua has been agreed by the Central Indonesian National Sports Committee held in October 2021. While Sea Games Tokyo, will take place in November 2021.

Therefore, he asked the athletes who defended Papua to have to choose one of the two events.

"And surely we at Indonesian National Sports Committee of Papua will direct them to all out in National Sports Week. For the next time he's going anywhere, let's be right. But the point is all Papuan athletes should focus first on defending the Papuan host in the National Sports Week event," he said.