Inp.polri.go.id - Surakarta. President Joko Widodo opened the XVII National Paralympic Week (PEPARNAS) 2024 in Surakarta, Central Java with the opening ceremony to showcase athletes and talented athletes with disabilities.

The opening ceremony featured winners from the ASEAN Paragames, with a 10-minute dance performance led by disabled friends,” Surono, the Deputy for Sports Achievement Improvement at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, on Sunday (6/10/2024).

He emphasized the importance of including disabled talent in the ceremony, as PEPARNAS is dedicated to showcasing the abilities of athletes with disabilities from across Indonesia. He noted that Surakarta has a long-standing reputation as a center for training disabled athletes, consistently achieving remarkable results, including being the overall champion at the last ASEAN Paragames in Cambodia.

Six new sports have been added to PEPARNAS XVII, bringing the total to 20. This expansion aims to discover young disabled athletes who can represent Indonesia in future regional and international competitions.

(mg/ta/hn/nm)