Heryawan said the ceremony would show off the country’s cultural richness and honor the environment with a mix of digital technologies.

“You must see it for yourself to find out. God willing, we will have a colossal opening, which will include Indonesia’s legendary living athletes as torchbearers,” Heryawan, who is also the governor of West Java, told a press conference on Friday.

The nation’s sporting heroes such as Olympians Liliyana Natsir, Tontowi Ahmad, Taufik Hidayat and Susi Susanti in badminton, former bodybuilder Ade Rai, cyclist Risa Suseanty and table-tennis athlete Anton Suseno will act as torchbearers during the ceremony.

The organizing committee has allocated Rp 90 billion (US$6.8 million) out of a total Rp 2.1 trillion budget for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Heryawan is optimistic that the two-week event, which will host 44 sporting competitions, will excite the public’s interest.

Youth and Sports Ministry spokesman Gatot S. Dewa Broto said the province had worked hard to prepare for the event and the ministry had allocated Rp 100 billion in funding to ensure its success.

The host province, however, hopes to receive feedback, including criticism, on any potential problems.

According to media reports, West Java has been struggling to get areas ready for the event and several venues are thought by some to be unprepared. Scoring machines, for example, are reportedly unavailable in a number of spots.

Just a week prior to the commencement of the event, the track-and-field competition is in trouble. Five containers full of necessary track-and-field equipment are stuck at the Tanjung Priok customs office in North Jakarta.

Responding to negative reports, Heryawan has vowed to do his utmost to handle everything before the sporting extravaganza begins.

“There have been problems, but we will tackle them,” he said.

When asked about the future of the sporting venues and their supporting facilities after the end of the event, Heryawan said they “will not be left abandoned”.

“I’ve already got some people asking for permits to use several facilities after the event. This is quite a strong sign that we can maintain the use of the facilities,” he added.

In addition to sporting facilities, the local government also plans to build a vocational school to groom young sporting talent. The future vocational school is set to be located near facilities such as the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium.

Supporting West Java’s ambition to sustain its sporting venues, Gatot said the government would also use some of them for the 2018 Asian Games.

The 2016 PON will officially run from Sept. 17 to 29. Swimming and soccer, however, kicked off their competitions on Wednesday.

As of Friday evening, West Java — with the largest contingent of 1,170 athletes — led the medal tally with 21 gold medals, 11 silver medals and nine bronze medals.

Jakarta, with the second largest contingent of 902 athletes, is in second place with 10 gold medals, 11 silver medals and 13 bronze medals. East Java is in third position.

Popular

Undoing the sweet aftermath of Eid festivities

Indonesia may offer dual citizenship to attract overseas workers

Indonesia may offer dual citizenship to attract overseas workers, minister says