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RI enters critical period in Asian Games preparation
Against the clock: A velodrome — an indoor cycling stadium — is under construction in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Wednesday
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span class="inline inline-center">Against the clock: A velodrome — an indoor cycling stadium — is under construction in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Wednesday. The velodrome, which covers 9.5 hectares of land, is expected to be completed next May for the 2018 Asian Games.(JP/Dicky Christanto)
With less than nine months until the 2018 Asian Games officially kicks off, the Indonesian government faces a challenge to complete the construction of various sporting venues and its supporting infrastructure.
Djoko Pekik Irianto, a sport scientist at Yogyakarta State University, said the government has entered a critical period, as most of the construction should have been completed, and now should be the time to organize a series of test events to discover problems and then resolve them.
“We have spent so much to reach this point. So let’s not waste any more time and focus hard on finishing the construction so we can deliver. There’s still a fair chance that we can make it,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Jakarta and Palembang are still struggling to deliver the construction on time. Some of the projects have been completed, namely, among others, the Senayan soccer stadium and the aquatics stadium, which are both located within the Senayan sporting complex.
Despite this progress, the equestrian facility in Pulo Mas and the velodrome in Rawamangun, both in East Jakarta, are still in the middle of construction. The workers claim that 90 percent of the projects have already been completed and they are now working on the finishing touches.
Nur Arya, an engineer working on the Velodrome construction project, said the workers are now working in four different shifts almost 24 hours a day to catch up with the schedule. Right now, he added, there were 200 local workers working together with 15 foreign workers, who were supervising the construction of the cycling arena inside the stadium.
A similar situation can be seen in Palembang, as the South Sumatra administration is still struggling to build three five-story towers at the Athlete Village in Jakabaring to accommodate 800 people, comprising athletes and officials.
A shooting range facility is also still under construction. Workers there said the construction would be fully completed by March next year.
Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) deputy chief Harry Warganegara acknowledged Palembang is more ready than Jakarta, thanks to the existing facilities at Jakabaring Sport City that are going to be used for the upcoming Asian Games.
“Now we need to push for the construction of the tower at the Athlete Village in Jakabaring to be completed on time, or else we will have to use hotels in Palembang to make up for it. The second scenario would be costly,” he said.
Commenting on this, South Sumatra governor Alex Noerdin said they were now working 24 hours a day to meet the deadlines, including on the towers. He assured that the construction would be completed in time.
“We are working on it every day. We will be able to complete it on time,” he said.
He added that all athletes who compete in Palembang would be transported by the newly-launched LRT that would take them directly to Jakabaring through 23 stations, passing through Musi River, the widest river in South Sumatra. That way, he added, the whole journey would take less than a half-an-hour from the airport.
Jakabaring Sport City, situated across 325 hectares of land, was originally built for the 2004 National Games in Palembang. It was later used for the 2011 SEA Games, which were also hosted by Jakarta and Palembang. Therefore, the local administration in cooperation with the private sector has renovated most of the sporting facilities inside the complex.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla previously stated the government had earmarked Rp 30 trillion (US$2.1 billion) for all construction projects related to the Asian Games.
