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View all search resultsRiau athletes demand long-overdue 2024 PON bonuses
Less than half of the promised bonuses have been paid as the province grapples with financial strain following cuts to regional transfers by President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.
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The opening ceremony of PON XXI Aceh-North Sumatra 2024 is shown on Sept. 9, 2024, at the Harapan Bangsa Stadium, Banda Aceh, Aceh. PON XXI Aceh-North Sumatra 2024 involved 65 sports and nearly 13,000 athletes from 38 provinces from Sept. 9-20, 2024. (Antara Foto/Aprillio Akbar)
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ore than 100 athletes in Riau are demanding that the provincial administration pay the bonuses they were promised for their performances at the 2024 National Sports Week (PON) and the 2024 National Paralympic Week (Peparnas), with less than half of the payments having been made nearly two years after the event.
Darman Hutauruk, a senior boxing coach in Riau, said Riau is the only province that had yet to fully pay bonuses owed to medal-winning athletes.
“The local government previously said the outstanding bonuses would be paid in stages starting early this year. However, as of August, there is still no clear timeline for when the remaining bonuses will be disbursed,” he said in a recent interview.
“We are only asking for what we are entitled to. We have been waiting for almost two years, but the government’s promises to settle the payments keep being pushed back. We have brought achievements to Riau, but to this day, we still have not received the bonuses we were promised in full,” he said.
On Aug. 6, more than 100 athletes and coaches who competed at the 2024 PON and the 2024 Peparnas staged a protest at Riau Main Stadium, demanding that the provincial government pay outstanding performance bonuses promised nearly two years ago.
Athletes and coaches from a range of sports, including athletics, badminton, chess, weightlifting, wheelchair fencing, blind judo and tennis, took part in the protest. Wearing their PON uniforms and carrying the medals they had won, they gathered to voice their demands. Several athletes with disabilities also joined the protest, using wheelchairs and walking sticks.
