T

he National Games (PON) concluded in Riau in September with Jakarta regaining supremacy in the quadrennial sporting showcase, which was marred by on- and off-fi eld glitches and allegations of corruption.

Jakarta pulled in an overall collection of 110 gold, 101 silver and 112 bronze medals to dethrone East Java, which settled in third place with 86 gold, 86 silver and 84 bronze medals.

West Java fi nished in second place with 99-79-101 to send a strong warning to its rivals about its ambitions for the championship title when it hosts the next edition of the games in 2016.

While Jakarta basked in glory, host Riau was forced into a period of self-refl ection, not because its contingent only ended up in sixth place, but because of its desperation in averting glitches before and during the organization of the games.

The buildup to the games, where some 8,000 athletes from 33 provinces competed in 39 sports from Sept. 5 to Sept. 20 with a total of 601 gold medals up for grabs, had already been under media scrutiny for fi ve months when allegations of corruption surfaced.

Investigations by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named several suspects, including Eka Dharma Putra of the Riau Youth and Sports Agency, Riau provincial legislative councilors M. Faisal Aswan of the Golkar Party and Mohammad Dunir of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and stateowned construction firm PT Pembangunan Perumahan staff member Rahmat Syahputra.

The number of suspects increased in July to 13, including 11 members of the Riau Provincial Legislative Council.

The councilors were alleged to have received Rp 900 million (US$93,148) in bribes for the revision of a 2010 bylaw on the construction of the shooting venue for the National Games.

The revised bylaw provided Rp 20 billion in additional funds for “overtime pay”, on top of the Rp 44 billion already allocated in 2010.

The Riau administration claimed that the additional budget was necessary to upgrade the venue to international standards as the province is also set to host the Islamic Solidarity Games the following year.

A revised plan relocated the shooting venue moved from its initial location on Jl. Yos Sudarso, Rumbai, Pekanbaru, to the Rumbai Sports Center, because the old site was considered “unsuitable” for its close proximity to a vocational school. In an abrupt U-turn, the shooting venue was moved back to its original site.

The organizers eventually had to hold PON shooting events in the unfi nished venue after arguing that the facility was adequate for technical purposes.

Eka and Rahmat were sentenced by the Pekanbaru Corruption Court on Sept. 7 to two-and-a-half years in prison and Rp 50 million in fi nes, while Dunir and Faisal were sentenced on Dec. 17 to four years in prison and Rp 200 million in fines.

But that’s not all.

The KPK also set its eagle eye on indications of bribery connected to the revision to a 2008 bylaw on the multi-year Riau Main Stadium construction project.

The 2008 bylaw provided additional financing of Rp 218 billion for the project, on top of the Rp 900 billion already disbursed.

However, some Rp 200 billion in spending had been agreed to even before the revised bylaw was passed.

Furthermore, the Rp 900 billion surpassed the Rp 830 billion stipulated in the initial contract between the administration and three stateowned construction firms, PT Adhi Karya, PT Pembangunan Perumahan and PT Wijaya Karya.

With the injection of an additional Rp 218 billion, the budget for the construction of Riau Main Stadium, which accommodates 43,000 spectators, amounted to Rp 1.118 trillion — far above the figure set aside for the construction of Palaran Main Stadium for the 2008 National Games in East Kalimantan.

The organizers, who had previously boasted to invited journalists on an arranged tour of PON venues in July, failed to convince skeptics. A number of venues were still under construction when the games finally got underway.

In addition to the shooting range woes, a canopy at the tennis venue collapsed on Sept. 6, injuring three people, while the billiards building at the MTQ compound became flooded when a downpour hit the area.

The rain also flooded the futsal venue in Indragiri Hilir regency, prompting a swift rescheduling.

The baseball competition was held at an unfi nished venue in the Panam area. Waterlogged facilities were also found at the swimming venue, particularly in the men’s shower room, because of a poor drainage system. Many athletes complained about the smell.

Swimmers also complained that the water in the pool was not clear enough and limited their visibility compared to a standard pool.

Unfi nished athlete’s villages also had their own share of problems, with contingents having to move to hotels at their own expenses or stay at the limited facilities the host had provided.

A number of competitors staying at an athlete’s village said they had to deal with mosquito bites and a lack of clean water.

East Java badminton squad manager Wijanarko said his team had to buy 75 gallons of water every day for the whole team to shower.

He also complained that the organizer’s catering division failed to coordinate with its competition division, saying a catering service provider served breakfast only after athletes began their practice at 7 a.m. and left before athletes fi nished at 9 a.m.

A number of contingents also had to rely on self-supported transportation services because the organizer’s shuttles were “insufficient to transport athletes to venues on time”.

Competition at the swimming pool was marred by protests from contingents over the committee’s failure to hold all seven FINAsanctioned synchronized swimming events, and cutting the competition down to just three events.

Learning from Riau, West Java has promised to be better organizers.

The sporting community and team contingents are keen to see what the next host can offer in terms of improvements in the next four years.

— Mustaqim Adamrah