The National Sports Week 2024 (Indonesian: Pekan Olahraga Nasional XXI, abbreviated as PON XXI), also called as PON Aceh-Sumut 2024, is the twenty first edition of the National Sports Week (PON) which is a major national multi-sport event which take place from 9 to 20 September 2024 with Aceh and North Sumatra as hosts.
This edition marks the first time PON has been held by two provinces at once, also marks the first time it has been held in Aceh, and the second time it has been held in North Sumatra (previously in 1953). This is the fourth time PON has been held in Sumatra (previously Medan 1953, Palembang 2004, Pekanbaru 2012) and the first time since 2012. The youngest provinces, Southwest Papua, Highland Papua, Central Papua and South Papua will make their debut at the PON XXI event.
The selection of the host took place at the Extraordinary National Sports Conference (Musornaslub) of National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) on 24 April 2018, at the Bidakara Hotel, South Jakarta. This selection was made through a voting mechanism which was attended by KONI representatives from 34 provinces throughout Indonesia.[1]
The North Sumatra government has prepared 100 hectares to build the Sumut Sport Centre for 2024 PON in Kualanamu, Deli Serdang Regency. The North Sumatra Provincial Government has also prepared 300 hectares of land in Sena Village, Batang Kuis, Deli Serdang Regency. Meanwhile, the Aceh government is preparing 240 hectares.[2]
^No medals count. Capital City of Nusantara is just an honorary invitee.[7]
Concerns and controversies
Lead-up
The 2024 PON has been marred by numerous issues and is widely considered the worst in history. One of the most significant problems has been the substandard quality of food and transportation provided for the athletes.[8] In addition to the incomplete construction of competition venues, various PON venues in Aceh have gradually collapsed during competitions due to their inability to withstand heavy rainfall. These include the collapsed roof of the shooting range, the destroyed archery field, and the shattered windows of the basketball court. These incidents have drawn significant international and domestic media attention, raising questions about the quality of preparations and management of such a large-scale sporting event.[8]
Controversies
The 2024 PON men's soccer quarter-final match between Aceh and Central Sulawesi was marred by controversy triggered by the leadership of referee Eko Agus Sugih Harto from South Sumatra. His leadership was considered full of oddities, especially in several decisions that blatantly benefit Aceh, host of the event. The match became heated when the referee issued three red cards and gave two penalties to Aceh even though there were no clear violations. These decisions made the Central Sulawesi team feel unfairly treated until they finally decided not to continue the match when the score was still 1–1 in extra time. As a result of this incident, the Aceh team, which qualified for the semifinals, allegedly deliberately defeated themselves when facing East Java. This action was allegedly taken to avoid criticism from Indonesian netizens who were disappointed with Aceh's controversial victory over Central Sulawesi.[9]
