A

s one of the hosts of the 2018 Asian Games, the biggest multisport event in the region, Jakarta will soon have a velodrome and an equestrian park of international standards at which to train local athletes.

Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) chairman Raja Sapta Oktohari told The Jakarta Post that the new velodrome, located in the Rawamangun sports complex, East Jakarta, would make athletes’ training more efficient as they would not have to go overseas to train.

“The renovation is estimated to be completed at the beginning of 2018. We will directly use it for training,” Raja said recently.

Currently, the only available venue for cyclists who want to train in Indonesia is the velodrome in Surakarta, Central Java, which does not meet international standards as the length of the track is 330 meters, as opposed to the international standard of 250 meters, according to the ISSI.

Therefore, some cyclists have to train overseas in countries like Australia, China, Japan and Hong Kong as the weather in those countries is similar to Indonesia’s at certain times of the year, Raja added.

Many cyclists are pinning their hopes on the renovation of the velodrome in Rawamangun, which started in April 2016.

Currently, 30 percent of the renovation work has been completed, with the ISSI hoping that it will be completed as scheduled, which is by the beginning of 2018.

“With this velodrome, preparations for the next sporting event, like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, can be done here and we won’t need to send our athletes abroad,” Raja said.

In addition, the new velodrome can be used to train for the upcoming Asian Games without having to conduct a pre-event to test the arena as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) does not require it.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Equestrian and Horse Racing Association (Pordasi) is enthusiastically waiting for the completion of an equestrian park in Pulo Mas, East Jakarta, expected to be a training center for horse riders throughout the country.

“It’s really nice to know that we’re going to have a new equestrian park in Jakarta that can be used as our national training center because most equestrian parks are located out of the capital city,” Pordasi chairman Eddy Sadak told the Post over the phone on Tuesday.

Currently, riders who will participate in the Asian Games compete once a month at equestrian parks in Bandung, West Java; Serang, Banten; and Sentul, Bogor, to hone their skills.

The construction of the equestrian park is scheduled to be completed in November this year as Pordasi needs to conduct three pre-events to test the arena before the Asian Games begins in August next year.

Tests will be conducted by local riders, with a jury from the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) assessing the venue.

Eddy said he did not know the progress of the construction, although he was optimistic that it would be finished on time.

He added that the association would try to obtain equine disease free zone (EFDZ) certification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

“It’s still in progress and I admit that we’re a bit too late in handling this matter. But before the Asian Games, we’ll get it,” Eddy said.

In Jakarta, renovation of the velodrome and the equestrian park is being handled mostly by city-owned construction company Jakarta Propertindo. The Rawamangun project is estimated to cost Rp 513 billion (US$38.5 million) while the Pulo Mas project will cost Rp 400 billion.