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KOI assessing West Java's bid to co-host 2018 Asian Games
The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) confirmed that the country was ready to host the 18th Asian Games in 2018, which would be held in three other provinces in addition to the capital city of Jakarta
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he Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) confirmed that the country was ready to host the 18th Asian Games in 2018, which would be held in three other provinces in addition to the capital city
of Jakarta.
'This is not a Jakarta Asian Games, but an Indonesian Asian Games,' KOI chairperson Rita Subowo said in Bandung on Friday.
Rita was in Bandung to meet West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan to identify facilities in the province that might be used as venues for the event. She was accompanied by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) honorary vice-president Wei Jizhong.
The KOI had asked West Java to prepare a number of venues for equestrian, rowing, soccer, basketball, volleyball and cycling competitions.
Rita said several facilities in West Java had been used in the past as venues for international sporting events. They included the Jatiluhur dam for rowing, the Subang highway for cycling and the Depok region for equestrian contests.
'They [the venues] are close to Jakarta but are in the West Java region,' Rita said.
While in Bandung, Rita and Wei were scheduled to visit the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api stadium in Gedebage, Bandung City, which was among the best candidates for hosting soccer qualification
matches.
Rita said the committee would require three additional cities in addition to Jakarta, such as Palembang, South Sumatra, Bandung and Surabaya, East Java, to play host to the soccer qualifiers.
'We will arrange it in such a way so it will burden neither the host nor the players,' she said.
She added that the venues would be officially selected after the meeting with the OCA in Incheon, South Korea, which would take place sometime between Sept. 19 and Oct. 4 prior to the opening of the 17th Asian Games.
The OCA was the body with the authority to choose Jakarta or another city, she said.
'There are several criteria to meet and Jakarta is close to [meeting] those criteria. However, it is impossible for Jakarta to host the Asian Games alone,' Rita said.
The KOI proposes to have 36 sports represented at the 18th Asian Games, including 28 Olympic events and local sports such as the traditional Indonesian martial art, pencak silat.
Ahmad Heryawan warmly welcomed the visit and conveyed assurances of the province's readiness to co-host the games.
'We are ready both in term of human resources and venues and we will improve them,' Heryawan said.
He added that Indonesia hosted the 4th Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962. 'This would be the second [time]. In principle, it's now Ibu Rita's task to convince the international organizing committee [of Indonesia's readiness],' he said.
South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin earlier said his province was also ready to participate in the event.
'God willing, we are ready. We will wait for the assessment before deciding which sports should be held in Palembang,' he said,
Indonesia, home to the largest economy in Southeast Asia, was runner-up in the initial bidding before Vietnam, the KOI's initial first-choice host, opted out recently, citing financial concerns.
