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n anticipation of the Asian Games next year, the Jakarta administration and the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) are moving on various fronts to beautify the city for the quadrennial sporting event.

Decoration is being created and planned at several of the city’s busy spots, such as the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the Semanggi overpass in Central Jakarta, in Kota Tua, in West and North Jakarta and at the athletes village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

“Mascots, the logo and countdowns to the Asian Games will be installed at numerous places. We chose the decoration based on conditions in the respective areas,” Jakarta Youth and Sport Agency head Ratiyono said recently at City Hall after a meeting with INASGOC representatives.

The city has vowed to facilitate the promotion campaign through tax breaks for advertising carried out by INASGOC and has allocated Rp 70 billion (US$4.9 million) for the purpose, according to Ratiyono.

Concrete pillars sticking out of the ground purposelessly near the Senayan sports complex in Central Jakarta, initially built to support the monorail system, now present images related to the event to passing motorists.

To reach a bigger audience, the city will also emblazon its 50 Transjakarta buses and 100 bus stops with related images. The extensive transportation service carries nearly 450,000 people daily, and organizers expect it to spread the Games’ spirit among passengers.

The Games, the world’s second-biggest sporting event after the Olympics, are slated for August next year and are
expected to expose Indonesia’s capital, along with Palembang in South Sumatra as the other host city, to countries across the continent.

The central government has invested trillions of rupiah to construct and renovate sporting and transportation infrastructure in Jakarta, such as the Light Rail Transit (LRT), the Aquatic Stadium and the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, to support the event, which is expected to attract more than 20,000 visitors, including athletes, coaches, officials and tourists from across Asia.

Deputy Jakarta Governor Sandiaga Uno said there was lots of room for improvement to increase the Games’ prominence among the city’s 10 million residents.

“[I have] ordered subdistricts to hype the Asian Games and use all the government’s resources to go all-out in promoting the event,” Sandiaga said.

The government also plans to hold sporting tournaments at schools across the city, involving Jakarta’s active and retired athletes, to spread the excitement. It is also inviting schools to paint sport-related murals.

Plans to involve famous national athletes, both active and retired ones, to visit Jakarta’s subdistricts and hold small-scale tournaments aim to ensure exposure of the Games among residents of lower and middle-income households.

“We will also invite private companies to take part in the campaign by at least putting the [Asian Games] mascot or logo up at shopping malls, for instance. There will be a letter from the Governor to invite them,” Ratiyono said.

INASGOC spokesman Danny Buldansyah said he was confident that the efforts eight months prior to the Games would raise people’s awareness about the event.

“Hopefully, it will raise public enthusiasm for the event and we can be a good host,” he said.