The clock is ticking for Indonesia, which is set to host the third Asian Para Games from Oct. 6 to 18, as it has yet to come to a firm decision on the location of the event’s shooting venue.

The Indonesian Asian Para Games Organizing Committee (INAPGOC) has been leading the charge in preparing for 18 parasports that are set to be held in the host city of Jakarta. However, unlike other sports that have had no problem in securing a venue, the location of the shooting competition remains in doubt.

With the Asian Para Games to be held just a month after the closing ceremony of the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, organizers are uncertain over whether the Senayan Shooting Range in Central Jakarta will be ready.

The Senayan site will not be used for shooting at the Asian Games in August and September. Rather, the multisport event will use the shooting arena at the Jakabaring Sports Complex in Palembang. No major renovation is planned for the Senayan shooting range, making it unsuitable to house Asian-level competitions.

Cipta Karya director general Sri Hartoyo of the Public Works and Housing Ministry said the government did not have plans to renovate the Senayan site for either of the multisport competitions as the timing was not ideal.

Sri suggested that Asian Para Games organizers hold the competition at the Jakabaring site.

“The plan [to renovate Senayan shooting range] was quite sudden,” Sri told the press on Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting held by INAPGOC in Jakarta.

“The procurement process to support the renovation will take time. The work won’t be finished [before the start of the Para Games],” he said, adding that the government would continue to encourage the organizers to pick other sites.

In response, chief organizer Raja Sapta “Okto” Oktohari said the move to relocate the competition to a venue outside of Jakarta would violate Presidential Instruction No. 3/2018 on venue renovation and development for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

The regulation requires that all Asian Para Games events be held in Jakarta.

“We had planned to have the paracycling road-race event take place at the Sentul Circuit in Bogor, West Java, but we couldn’t do it because the regulation requires that we hold the competition within Jakarta only,” said Okto.

He said he had explored the possibility of hosting shooting at the Cilodong shooting range, but as it was located in Depok, West Java, such a change would violate the regulation. With limited options, Okto urged the government to support the organizers’ idea to use the Senayan arena.

“We need to have a discussion about the shooting venue with the ministry. They probably have a different understanding on this matter.

“Please bear in mind that if we insist on relocating the venue to Jakabaring, we will face a budget increase,” said Okto, who also chairs the Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI).

In supporting Okto’s stance, Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) chief executive officer Tarek Souei called on the host country to follow the rules of having a single host city, saying the idea to relocate to Palembang should be a last resort.

“We prefer all sports [to be held] in one place,” said Souei, adding that the idea to relocate the shooting venue had not been officially addressed to the APC.

Souei said having scattered venues would trouble the participants. “The athletes, they don’t like that. They prefer to [stay] together in the [athletes] village and [compete] in one sports hub,” he told journalists.

Indonesia, the national team of which is led by Attorney General’s Office deputy Arminsyah, is set to deploy 300 para-athletes for the event’s 18 sports, which include badminton, wheelchair basketball and shooting.

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