TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
It’s official: Indonesia bids for 2032 Olympics
After leaving behind the glorious tale of hosting the 2018 Asian Games, Indonesia is now aiming at the bigger stage by officially launching its bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics
Change Size
A
span>After leaving behind the glorious tale of hosting the 2018 Asian Games, Indonesia is now aiming at the bigger stage by officially launching its bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics.
The bid was marked by the submission of a letter of interest, signed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Feb. 11. Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Muliaman D. Hadad handed the letter to IOC president Thomas Bach.
In a statement released by the Indonesian Embassy in Bern, it was stated that the IOC responded positively to Indonesia’s proposal and the organization would further cooperate with the country throughout the process of the Olympic bid.
“The IOC recognized Indonesia’s capabilities during the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in 2018, which went well. We believe that this is a strong foundation for future events,” IOC executive director Christophe Dubi said after the meeting with the Indonesian ambassador in Bern.
Meanwhile, the deputy assistant for sports at the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister, Gatot Hendrarto, said the President had actually written the letter after the Asian Games had closed.
He went on to say that it would still be a long road for the country in the Olympic bid, as the letter of interest was merely the first step.
“After this, we are required to come up with a proposal as required by the IOC. We will fulfill all of the requirements for bidding for the Olympics, which comprises tens of thousands of documents,” he said on Tuesday, adding that 2022 was the deadline for submitting all the documents.
The office will further coordinate with the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Indonesian Olympic Committee as well as other related parties for the Olympic bid.
The move to join the Olympic bid war fulfilled Jokowi’s remarks during the quadrennial Asian Games. The President confidently stated to Bach and the head of the Olympic Council of Asia Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah that Indonesia wanted to host the Olympics during their meeting at the Bogor Palace a day before the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in September last year.
The Asian games, which was jointly hosted by Jakarta and Palembang, involved over 17,000 athletes and officials, a figure that is similar to the number of athletes and officials that take part in the Olympics.
Indonesia has thus proven it has the capacity to host an event of this scale, given that Forbes reported 11,384 athletes competed at the 2016 Summer Olympic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Indonesia will likely encounter strong contenders after Seoul announced its intention to cohost the 2032 Olympics with its northern neighbor Pyongyang.
India has also sent its letter of interest to the IOC for the 2032 Olympics with New Delhi and Mumbai the two strongest candidates that will be nominated by the Indian Olympic Association, Inside the Games reported.
Australia and China are also among the countries that have expressed interest in hosting the 2032 Games.
Political scientist Barthélémy Courmont said despite having benefits like receiving international recognition, hosting an Olympic games could also invite drawbacks such as financial losses.
But he still supported Indonesia’s Olympic bid as it could boost the host city’s infrastructure.
“Being a candidate already means something because that’s the opportunity to expose your development program in competing with others,” he said recently.
