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Editorial: Indonesia'€™s dream games

Hosting an international sporting event like the Asian Games is a dream of every city and nation on the continent, not only because of the fame and global media coverage that will follow but also because of the home-turf advantage that the host-country athletes will aim to exploit to win medals

The Jakarta Post
Tue, August 12, 2014

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Editorial: Indonesia'€™s dream games

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osting an international sporting event like the Asian Games is a dream of every city and nation on the continent, not only because of the fame and global media coverage that will follow but also because of the home-turf advantage that the host-country athletes will aim to exploit to win medals.

In some cases, host cities and countries have paid too dearly for the mounting sums of money borrowed to build brand new, high-tech stadiums and infrastructure. There have been stories of new sports facilities being left idle, as in the case of Athens, whose venues for the 2004 Olympic Games, which cost Greece US$15 billion, now stand empty as no investors came forward after the Games to take them over.

Previously, Sydney recorded a $2.1 billion loss after hosting the 2000 Olympics, according to an independent assessment and, as Brazil demonstrated with the World Cup in June-July this year, a host nation can suffer a humiliating defeat in addition to facing a debt crisis. Each of these cases can provide valuable lessons if Jakarta, and possibly Pekanbaru in Riau, are serious in their bids to host the 2018 Asian Games, following this year'€™s Games in Incheon, South Korea, on Sept. 19-Oct. 4.

Indonesia last held the Asian Games in 1962 in Jakarta, with the host team finishing fourth in the medals tally. A similar achievement has proved elusive for Indonesia since then.

Perhaps because of the desire to emulate the nation'€™s athletes who surprised Asia'€™s sporting powerhouses at that time, the government will very likely support the bid; especially if Jakarta Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo assumes office as the republic'€™s seventh president in October.

After a meeting with Jokowi on Thursday, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) honorary vice president Wei Jizhong said that after his two inspections, he deemed the city was prepared to host the Asian Games, but the final decision lay with a more senior authority. Jizhong said Jakarta'€™s infrastructure already met the requirements set by the OCA.

Previously, Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) and light rapid transit (LRT) systems, loop lines for electric trains, six toll roads and improvements to the city'€™s public bus network needed to be realized by 2016 or 2017 if the Asian Games were to return to Jakarta in 2018.

But with a sense of nationalism running high, rational considerations can easily be overlooked. In which case, there would be a very real possibility that Jakarta could follow in the footsteps of Athens, Sydney and Brazil.

Greater budget funds to speed up the construction and renovation of sport facilities and supporting infrastructure would mean an extra burden on taxpayers. For the new central government administration, the hopes of a home-based Asian Games will be a challenge, as its first priority will be fulfilling its campaign promises.

All the money would be spent without any guarantee of a payback or of Indonesia matching Asia'€™s sporting giants in the medal race.

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