Confusion over the implementation of PON 2024 in the Aceh region

Banda Aceh, LONG LIVE – The 21st National Sports Week (PON) 2024 held in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces was held after its inauguration by President Joko Widodo on Monday, September 9, 2024 at the Harapan Bangsa Stadium in Banda Aceh.

The closing ceremony of PON 2024 was held at the main stadium of North Sumatra, Deli Serdang, on Friday, September 20, 2024, by PMK Minister Muhadjir Efendi. Although it was claimed to be a success, this multinational event also left its mark.

This problem is not only in North Sumatra, Aceh also has problems in the implementation of PON 2024, from blocked drains and flooding at Blang Pase Sigli Stadium, Pidi Regency during the football match between Papua and Riau teams, so the match was postponed.

Some of the challenges that VIVA outlined during PON 2024 in the Aceh region are;

Rain brings Rara Pavang

People in Aceh were shocked on social media by a viral video showing the image of Rara Istiati Wulandari, popularly known as Mbak Rara, raining at the Harapan Bangsa Stadium in Banda Aceh.

Rara’s arrival sparked reactions from Aceh residents, academics and the government, as Rara’s tradition of stopping rain was against Islamic law. Rara was subsequently invited by the companies implementing the stadium’s rehabilitation, notably PT Wika and PT Nindya Karya.

The company invited Rara because they wanted to speed up the construction of the stadium roof, because at that time it started raining in Aceh. In addition, the company called Rara is in coordination with the Aceh government.

Therefore, the Aceh government, through acting Governor Safrizal, asked PT leaders Vika and Nindya Karya to immediately repatriate Rara.

“PT. WIKA and PT. Nindya Karya, KSO responsible for the project at Harapan Bangsa Stadium, finally return to Rara Istiati Wulandaria rain magician after his video went viral and sparked controversy,” Safrizal told reporters on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.

PON opening ticket

PB PON Aceh Province stated that those who can participate in the opening of Harapan Bangsa Stadium are invited as guests. After the announcement, Acehnese people were in an uproar, as if they could not accept that ordinary people were enjoying the opening of Indonesia’s largest multi-faceted sports competition.

After a day, Aceh Province’s PB PON finally eased up. In the end, they opened 7,000 invitation tickets for residents to witness the opening of PON 2024.

4,000 tickets were given to all Aceh residents and the rest to residents around Harapan Bangsa Stadium. For those who have not received an invitation ticket, it is recommended to tour the stadium together.

“4,000 invitations are intended for people from all over Aceh. Meanwhile, another 3,000 invitations were distributed to the local community, namely the people of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, all free of charge,” said PB Secretary General. PON Aceh Region Nasir, Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Consumer problems

The issue arose when athletes and the official contingent spoke at PON 2024 in Aceh. consumer problems This was considered unreasonable to meet the caloric and nutritional needs of athletes. This was also aggravated by the delay in distribution, which resulted in several athletes receiving stale rice.

In this regard, several active anti-corruption NGOs have received information about food tenders won by PT Usaha Atmosphere with a maximum budget of IDR 42.5 billion. The company’s address is in South Jakarta.

At RAB, 1 part of a box of rice costs 50,900 thousand rupees and snacks 50,900 thousand rupees. This price does not correspond to the consumption of athletes and officials.

Some of the contingent received rice, round eggs, sliced ​​carrots and a glass of mineral water in boxes. Others bought chicken pieces so small that the portion of food did not meet the athlete’s needs and the price indicated.

Therefore, when the case came to light, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, was furious and wanted to report the case to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police and the Financial Control and Development Agency (BPKP).

Dito immediately visited Aceh to visit the food site designated by the winning bidder. Now that the case is still ongoing, BPKP has collected various evidence regarding the alleged price fixing of athletes.

“Currently, the BPKP team is collecting data and taking photos of the actual conditions on the field, which we will then use these documents and data to review the liability when paying them,” said Jufridani, expert auditor of BPKP Aceh during a press conference. Conference on Sportsman Consumption at the Aceh PON Media Center, Thursday, September 12, 2024.

referee’s argument

The quarter-final football match between Aceh and Central Sulawesi teams continues full of controversy of the decision of the referee presided by Eko Agus Sugiharto. In his decision, he gave 3 red cards to Central Sulawesi and 2 penalties to Aceh.

Red card and penalty awarded by Eko Agus when Central Sulawesi Aceh was 1-0 up. This intense match infuriated the Sulawesi centre-back, who punched the referee in the face, bringing him down.

In this match, the Central Sulawesi team decided not to play, when Aceh managed to equalize the score 1-1 with a penalty. Thus, the Aceh team reached the semi-finals.

The incident reportedly angered PSSI president Eric Tahir over the actions of the Central Sulawesi players, who were beaten, and referee Eko Agus Sugiharto, who was deemed unfair in his officiating of the match.

Eric then sent a PSSI investigation team to investigate allegations of match-fixing in the quarter-final match between Aceh and Central Sulawesi held at Dimurtala Stadium, Banda Aceh on Saturday, 14 September 2024.

“Very shameful. PSSI will investigate this incident thoroughly and impose the most severe sanctions!” Eric said in a statement on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

Roof collapse at shooting site.

Roof and gutters at the PON 2024 shooting sports venue located at Rindam Iskandar Muda Shooting Range, Mata Ie, Aceh Besar, collapsed on Tuesday, September 17, 2024At the time of the incident, some of the athletes were said to have finished the race.

The area where the roof collapsed was previously used for air rifle and air pistol competitions. However, this figure had already finished the competition at the time of the incident. This area is used for athletes to warm up.

The roof of the shooting venue is believed to have collapsed and could not withstand the rainwater that hit the neighbourhood. Also, the construction of the venue is not yet 100 per cent complete, so the committee has made changes to allow the match to go ahead.

“We predicted from the beginning that this filming location would not be completed due to time constraints. However, we will change it so that it can be played. “So the interior building is actually a temporary building,” said PB PON Aceh head Safrizal on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.

Basketball Seat Window Broken Glass

Glass windows in the basketball court of the Harapan Bangsa stadium complex in Banda Aceh broken by the wind up to approximately listeners, Wednesday, September 18, 2024.

At the time of the event, a 3X3 women’s basketball competition was taking place between North Sumatra and South Sulawesi.

Due to this incident, the game had to be temporarily halted. It is reported that 5 spectators were hit by broken glass and 3 of them were injured and immediately taken to the Meurasa regional hospital in Banda Aceh.

PB PON Aceh Province stated that the severe weather that occurred in the Aceh region also damaged the structures and buildings at the Harapan Bangsa Stadium Complex stadium.