Pekan Olahraga Nasional

The Pekan Olaraga Nasional (PON) or National Games is a four-yearly sports meeting in Indonesia.

History

The Indonesian Sports Association (ISI) was established in Jakarta in 1938 with the aim of coordinating the existing sports associations including the Football Federation. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia from 1942 to 1945, sporting activities were coordinated by the Sports Practice Movement. Following the Indonesian Declaration of Independence in 1945, that nation took over the running of its own sport and in January 1946, a conference was held in Surakarta, Central Java , which gave rise to the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KORI), chaired by Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX.

Indonesia was unable to participate in the 1948 Olympic Games because Indonesian independence had not been recognized, and Indonesia was not a member of the International Olympic Committee. At an emergency conference in Solo on 1 May 1948 to discuss Indonesia's failure to compete in the Olympics, it was decided to organized the first National Games, which ran from 8-12 September 1948.

Venues

¹"cancelled because of the 30 September Movement"

The 2008 games

The 2008 games are being held at the Palaran Main Stadium in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, the first time they have been held in Kalimantan. There are a total of 7,608 athletes competing in 66 sports and games. There are a total of 749 gold, 749 silver and 954 bronze medals to be won.

Reference

* "Kompas" newspaper, pp, 1,10, 6 July 2008