Flores districts compete to host women’s football at PON 2028

Ende — Ende, Sikka and Ngada are competing to host women’s football at the 2028 National Sports Week, with Marilonga Stadium, Gelora Samador Maumere and Lebi Jaga Stadium named as proposed venues in a report published on 19 October 2026.

The competition concerns PON XXII, which Nusa Tenggara Timur and Nusa Tenggara Barat are scheduled to co-host in November 2028, according to POS-KUPANG.COM. A central Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) inspection team visited candidate venues in Flores on 16 October 2026 to assess infrastructure and help determine the sports and locations for the event.

The three venues remain under consideration, but the report says each still has work to complete. Field readiness, supporting facilities and compliance with technical competition standards will influence the final decision.

The report also identifies Ende as a projected host for two sports at PON 2028: women’s football and rafting. Marilonga Stadium is the proposed football venue, while the related inspection in Ende examined Kali Wolowona at Kilometer 10, in Desa Ndungga, Kelurahan Rewarangga, Kecamatan Ende Timur, as the proposed rafting location.

Why it matters to Flores readers

The contest places three Flores districts in a direct bid for a national sporting event and links venue selection to local infrastructure work. For Ende, the proposed two-sport role means both Marilonga Stadium and the rafting site must meet the requirements set by the visiting technical teams.

At Marilonga, inspectors reviewed the playing field, competition area, operational rooms and other facilities. A separate report said the stadium’s running-track construction was nearly complete, while the playing surface was dry amid drought conditions affecting parts of Nusa Tenggara Timur.

The October 19 report does not state a final host decision. It says the initial inspection found potential at all three stadiums, while outstanding work remained before a final determination.

Sources

• POS-KUPANG.COM — Indonesian news report
• RRI — Indonesian public radio broadcaster; reports Sikka’s Gelora Samador was planned as a women’s-football venue for PON XXII 2028