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Six places to reminisce about Indonesia’s first Asian Games
Here are six buildings related to the 1962 Asian Games that you can visit today.
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Sarinah department store (right) and Djakarta Theater (left) on Friday, September 22, 2017. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
I
ndonesia is currently hosting the 18th Asian Games, which will end on Sept. 2, but some people may be unaware that the country held the multisport event the first time back in 1962.
At the time, the country's first president, Sukarno, initiated several construction projects especially for the event.
As compiled by tempo.co, below are six buildings related to the 1962 Asian Games that you can visit today:
Sarinah
Although the department store Sarinah was not yet built at that time, the plans were already in store alongside other projects to modernize Jakarta. Sukarno planned Sarinah and Jl. MH Thamrin to be the center of economy and business. Named after the first president’s helper, Sarinah has been managed by the state ever since.
‘Selamat Datang’ Monument
The bronze monument, which was sculpted by Edhi Sunarso and designed by architect Frederich Silaban, was built especially to welcome the athletes. It overlooks the old Kemayoran Airport, where international athletes and other state guests would land.
Hotel Indonesia
Known as the first five-star hotel in Southeast Asia, Hotel Indonesia was also built for the athletes. Inaugurated a week before the sports event began, the hotel, which had the first elevator in the country, had room rates starting from Rp 2,500 (17 US cents) at that time.
Read also: Six Indonesian destinations featured in Asian Games images
Semanggi Interchange
Borrowing its philosophy from the four-leaf clover, Semanggi Interchange was constructed to anticipate traffic jams leading to the multisport event. It was later developed by former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in 2016 to prepare for the 2018 Asian Games.
Gelora Bung Karno (GBK)
Set as the venue of the 2018 Asian Games, the multipurpose stadium was declared the largest in Southeast Asia. Inspired by one of the stadiums in Russia, Sukarno is said to have received a loan from former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to build it.
TVRI
State-owned television station TVRI was established near the 1962 Asian Games. Its broadcast debut was on Aug. 24, 1962, which was the day the multisport event began. The station later developed its programs, which includes Dunia dalam Berita (World within the News) as one of its most renowned. (wir/kes)
