Games end; Kalla calls for evaluation

Musthofid ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Samarinda, East Kalimantan   |  Fri, 07/18/2008 11:17 AM  |  Headlines

The National Games (PON) in East Kalimantan drew to a close Thursday with Vice President Jusuf Kalla calling for an evaluation during a ceremony at the Palaran main stadium in Samarinda.

"PON should strengthen ties of unity and make Indonesians stronger as a nation," he said.

At the end of the speech, he declared the Games closed. The Games flag was lowered and the cauldron's flame, which had been aglow since July 5, was extinguished.

The flag was handed to the Riau governor as the next hosts in 2012, when people may see a slash in the number of sports on offer. The East Kalimantan PON showcased 43 sports, a number Kalla had criticized as too high.

On Thursday he breached the issue. "The number of sports may be too many and we are asking KON (National Sports Council) to make an evaluation at the end of the Games," he said. "We may have strong athletes during the PON but we may want them to be strong in international events too."

Some 11,000 athletes and officials from 33 provinces competed for 749 gold medals at the Games. The athletes lined up according to sport during the closing ceremony, which was highlighted with an art and musical performance under art director Djaduk Feriyanto from Kua Etnika.

East Java topped all medal winners with 139 golds, giving them their second championship since 2000. The team rounded up their winning run in fitting style after their soccer team beat Papua 1-0 in the final earlier in the day.

The Games, which were held in six cities and regions, produced 176 new records in 10 sports: 115 PON records, 58 national, two SEA Games and one Asian Games.

Jakarta, which took the championship four years ago in Palembang, was left in second place with 119 gold medals, followed by hosts East Kalimantan with 116. West Java and Central Java rounded out the top five with 101 and 52 golds.

For the hosts, the medal collection signified a leap from the previous Games, although their medal rush was largely helped by new athletes recruited ahead of the Games.

Glitches were still to be found in the organization of the competition, ranging from transportation, accommodation, competition and information miscues.

Hendardji Supandji, chief of the Games supervisory team, acknowledged the weaknesses, saying: "We could not expect perfection, but we are committed to doing better in the future."

"We had obstacles as the Games were staged over a vast area. East Kalimantan is one-and-a-half times the size of Java Island, with venues spread over six cities and regions. Human resources were not accustomed to the task," Hendardji said.

The athletes are now ready for a stronger challenge when Indonesia takes part in the next SEA Games in Laos in 2009. "We plan to hold a long-term training camp starting October. We will recruit medal winners from the National Games, although young and talented athletes have their chances for a call-up," Hendardji said.

Final medal standings

1. East Java ------- Gold: 139, Silver: 113, Bronze: 111, Total: 363
2. Jakarta --------- Gold: 119, Silver: 117, Bronze: 122, Total: 358
3. East Kalimantan - Gold: 116, Silver: 111, Bronze: 114, Total: 341
4. West Java ------- Gold: 101, Silver: 84, Bronze: 132, Total: 317
5. Central Java ---- Gold: 52, Silver: 81, Bronze: 80, Total: 213
6. South Sulawesi -- Gold: 25, Silver: 23, Bronze: 28, Total: 76
7. North Sumatra --- Gold: 20, Silver: 11, Bronze: 29, Total: 60
8. Lampung --------- Gold: 18, Silver: 12, Bronze: 19, Total: 49
9. Bali ------------ Gold: 16, Silver: 18, Bronze: 26, Total: 60
10. Riau ----------- Gold: 16, Silver: 14, Bronze: 23, Total: 53

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