Indonesia Make World History by Hosting the 18th Asian Games
lIndonesia has made the world history by holding the biggest sports event in Asia, the 18th Asian Games. The International multi-sport event that starts on Saturday night will catapult the reputation of the nation on the world stage and certainly be the pride of all the people of Indonesia.
The Asian Games were declared open by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and a burst of fireworks followed the announcement, marking the start of the two-week tournament to be held in Jakarta and Palembang.
Competing in 40 sports in 463 matches, the games provides 465 gold medals up for grab.
The opening of the 2018 Asian Games featured the largest stage ever built with a total weight of 600 tons and a length of 120 meters, a width of 30 meters and a height of 26 meters.
The opening of the 2018 Asian Games which is estimated to be watched by billions of people around the world, enlivened by 18 top Indonesian artists such as, Joey Alexander, Anggun, Raisa, Ariel, Tulus, Kamasean, Fatin, GAC, Putri Ayu, Rian D’Masiv, Cakra Khan , Sheryl Sheinafia, Rossa, Wizzy, Rinni Wulandari, Edo Kondologit, Maruli Tampubolon and not miss the Javanese idol artists, especially East Java, namely Via Vallen.
Besides the singers, the show will also feature 3,600 dancers and accompanied by thousands of musicians from Addie MS and Ronald Steven. It is worth noting that they have been practicing for 126 days and spent 231,000 bottles of drinking water and 38,500 servings of food.
The opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games is expected to be attended by more than 50,000 pairs of eyes in the stadium which consists of invited guests, general audiences, athletes, officials, security and journalists.
To avoid congestion and crowds the 2018 Asian Games Organizing Committee in collaboration with the Government of DKI Jakarta and the Metro Jaya Regional Police will close several roads, namely Jalan Asia Afrika, Jalan Gerbang Pemuda, Jalan Senayan and Jalan Sudirman to the north. Public viewers are expected to come by public transportation, but those who bring private vehicles can park their vehicles in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) area. The entrance for the general audience will be through doors 5, 6 and 7 while for VIPs will go through doors 1 and 2.
Appointment of Jakarta and Palembang as Hosts
After Vietnam resigned as host to the 18th Asian Games, the OCA stated that Indonesia, China and the United Arab Emirates were the most likely candidates to host. The Philippines and India also expressed interest in becoming masters, but India failed to bid because it failed to get an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after being given an extension of time by the OCA.
Indonesia is considered a favorite because some of its cities have repeatedly hosted international events. Indonesia is willing to become an international venue for the 18th Asian Games if chosen.
On May 5, 2014, OCA visited several cities in Indonesia that might be able to host the Asian Games, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and Palembang, while Surabaya decided not to host the Asian Games and instead focused on hosting the Asian Youth Games. in 2021. On July 25, 2014, at a meeting in Kuwait City, the OCA appointed Jakarta to host the XVIII Asian Games with Palembang as the supporting host.
Jakarta was chosen because it has been equipped with sports facilities, an adequate transportation network, and other facilities such as hotels and lodging for guests. Scheduling Asian Games matches, changed from 2019 to 2018 because in 2019 general elections and presidential elections will be held.
On September 20, 2014, Indonesia signed a contract to host and during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Indonesia was symbolically appointed by the OCA to host the next Asian Games.
Participaiting countries
As many as 45 countries will enliven the 2018 Asian Games this time. They are; Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
Palestine, even though the country is not yet independent and sovereign, is allowed to take part in this prestigious event. In addition to the good relations between Indonesia and Palestine, the OCA also gave the green light to the State that Israel colonized to become an Asian Games participant this time. Palestine took down men’s and men’s beach volleyball teams in this event.
In addition, the Republic of Korea (South Korea / South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea / North Korea) are in one flag, Korea. Indonesia invited the heads of state of the two countries to attend the opening of the Asian Games this time, but according to information received by MINA, the South Korean Prime Minister was confirmed to be present, while North Korea was represented by the deputy prime minister Ri Ryong Nam and deputy foreign minister Choe Hui Chol.
Number of participating athletes
In his statement, INASGOC Chair Erick Thohir said that the number of athletes participating in the 2018 Asian Games reached 11,000. This figure makes the 2018 Asian Games the most followed by athletes throughout history, which is 20% more than during the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea Incheon.
“The latest data that entered us, the number of athletes reached around 11 thousand people. If there are additional officials, the total number of participants will reach around 16 thousand people. That number exceeds the target of the participants we estimate, “said Erick Thohir.
Meanwhile, as the host, Indonesia has the most to lose athletes. In the inauguration ceremony, the Indonesian Team consisted of 938 athletes who will compete in 40 sports. They are supported by 365 officials. When added to the management squad, support staff and trainers, the total Indonesian Team is 1,383 people.
If at the Asian Games in South Korea four years ago Indonesia sent 188 athletes, now the number of athletes has increased nearly five times.
Of the 938 Indonesian contingent athletes, there is an interesting figure who will take part in the 2018 Asian Games, the youngest and oldest athlete. They are Michael Bambang Hartono from bridge sports and Aliqqa Kayyisa from skate board.
Bambang Hartono is the owner of a clove cigarette company in Indonesia and has been named the second richest person in Indonesia. With a total wealth of IDR 229 trillion, according to Forbes magazine.
Meanwhile, the youngest Indonesian contingent, Aliqqa Kayyisa is 9 years old, entered the Indonesian squad for skateboarding.
Skater, who was still in elementary school (SD), was relied on for street girl numbers along with other skaters who were also young, namely Nyimas Bunga Cinta.
Volunteers
INASGOC allocates 11,000 volunteer quota for duty in Jakarta and two thousand in Palembang. Their task is to support the success of the event. In addition, they also act as liaison between institutions.
The volunteers will be placed in 19 departments such as; medical and doping, media and public relations, catering, transportation, tickets, opening and closing ceremonies, and the arena of competition.
INASGOC also provides communication training, personality training, tourism and cultural training to volunteers. In addition, the committee also received reserve volunteers to anticipate the volunteers who were sick before being on duty.
2018 Asian Games Volunteers carry out various tasks before and during the Asian Games. The target of volunteer needs for the Games Times is 13,000 people.
The volunteers wore special uniforms, namely sling bags, jackets, hats, red, blue and yellow shirts, and brown trousers that could be partially removed to become shorts. Volunteers also wear photo accreditation badges that are also worn by officials, athletes, family members and the media that gives them access to certain places and buildings around the location. (A / P2 / RS5
Mi’raj news agency (MINA)
