OPENING CEREMONY OF NATIONAL STUDENT SPORTS WEEK (POMNAS) XVI, Jakarta 2019
Public Relations of UNJ (9/19/2019) – National Student Sports Week (POMNAS) XVI Jakarta 2019 was officially opened on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at Souemantri Brojonegoro Sport Stadium, Jakarta. The opening ceremony was attended by Director General of Learning and Student Affairs of the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, Prof. Ismunandar, Regional Secretary of the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta, Dr. Saefullah, General Chairperson of Central KONI, Marciano Norman, as well as the Acting Rector of UNJ, Prof. Intan Ahmad, as the Head of POMNAS XVI 2019 Committee.
Prof. Ismunandar remarked that student-athletes enrolling in POMNAS XVI competition are the youth of the nation believed to bring fame of the country through sport. “The POMNAS sporting event which is held once in two years is supposed to be able to foster national awareness and to be a medium of building character education by means of sport.” He added. “In the name of Allah, this National Student Sports Week XVI is officially opened in Jakarta,” Prof. Ismunandar proclaimed.
Prof. Intan Ahmad, the Head of POMNAS XVI Committee pointed out that this event should be able to shape the character and to prosper in heart will-power to struggle to achievement in high sportsmanship. “This event should enable the student-athletes to internalize national awareness and serve as an educational means for character building.” Prof. Intan explained. He further hoped that POMNAS would generate national athletes with high competitiveness and be highly likely to have Indonesia rise to fame worldwide.
POMNAS XVI 2019 chose a theme of “Spirit, Sportive, and Achievement”, which is in accordance with goals of POMNAS: to foster and promote unity, togetherness, and friendship among students all over the country; to help government improve and develop national or international achievements in sports; to build character education among students through sport.
33 provinces with approximately 3,404 athletes and 1,337 officials took part in POMNAS XVI 2019 sporting event. The athletes were competing in 19 sports branches to fight over 713 medals. 18 venues to have been well-prepared by the committee were spread over the city, Jakarta in order to warmly welcome the athletes who have been the pride of the higher education institutions in the province. In addition to the above mentioned sport branches, POMNAS XVI 2019 presented four demonstration sports namely weight lifting, handball, cricket and e-sport.
Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ) coordinating the committee in this POMNAS event was presenting 919 dancers to perform a series of welcoming dances originating from numerous provinces in Indonesia. The 919 number was picked to be in adjacent with the opening ceremony of POMNAS held on 19-9-2019 at 19:00. The dancers came from students of UNJ, SMKN 57 Jakarta, SMAN 44 Jakarta, SMPN 52 Jakarta, Sri Budaya Dance Studio, and Ratna Dance Studio.
The ceremony started with a welcoming dance accompanied by UNJ orchestra consisting of 100 musicians and 60 vocalist in a choir. The students of UNJ involved in the performance dominantly belonged to Art Student Activity Unit. The laser and firecracker showoff to accompany the performance of a well-known singer in the city, Kikan Namara, also enlivened the sporting event opening. The torch lighting by Indonesia’s ex fencing athlete, Eman Sanusi, who is now the executive board of the Central KONI symbolized the opening of POMNAS XVI 2019. The lighting torch was then relayed by Indonesia’s hurdling athlete, Dedeh Erawati.