2008 Pekan Olahraga Nasional


2008 Pekan Olahraga National or the Indonesia National Games XVII were a major multi-sport event in Indonesia which took place in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, from 5–17 July 2008. A total of 7,946 athletes participated in the biggest-ever Pekan Olahraga Nasional and also the first on the island of Borneo. These games make Samarinda the second city to host Pekan Olahraga Nasional outside of the island of Java and Sumatra, after Makassar hosted the 1957 Pekan Olahraga Nasional.
Samarinda was awarded the right to host the games over three competitors, Pekanbaru, Bandung, and Semarang. Later, Pekanbaru was chosen to be the host of eighteenth edition of the games in 2012.

Host selection

Mascots

Mascots for the games are three endangered species of the East Kalimantan province and also representing three elements: land, water, and air.
Although Samarinda is the main host for the games, several sports also played in other cities in East Kalimantan, they are: