Indonesia ready for hosting Asian Games
Bangladesh to take part in 14 disciplines
Sports Reporter
Indonesian ambassador to Bangladesh Rina P Soemarno on Sunday said that they have made prepared almost everything from stadiums, accommodations and transportation arrangement to successfully host the 18th Asian Games-2018 in Indonesia.
The all Asian competition what Indonesia is going to host for the second time after 1962 will start on August 18 and end on September 2.
You all know that the Games initially was scheduled to host by Vietnam but Indonesia agreed to host the mega event when Vietnam expressed their unwillingness to host the event. Even, the Games was due to take place in 2019. But Indonesia brought it ahead in 2018 because of their 2019 general election, said Rina Soemarno.
Weve already prepared our indoor and outdoor of the stadiums by the refurbishment and extension with modern facilities to make them as international standard in 49 game locations of the both two host cities-Jakarta and Palembang, Soemarno told Bangladeshi media at a press conference on the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in the capital city yesterday.
The specialty of the Games is that two Indonesian cities- Jakarta (Java Islands) and Palembang (Sumatra Islands) which will be connected by rail, will host the games at the same time, she added.
A total of 32,000 participants including 15,000 athletes and officials along with 13,000 volunteers and 5,000 media personals from 45 Asian nations will take part in the 16-day-long meet.
Indonesian ambassador said that they are expecting around 17,000 foreign tourists- who could visit Bali Islands, Javas century-old temples, blue fire in mountain Ijen, Kawah Ijen volcano (East Java)- on the stroke of the Games with special arrangements. She also said that the Transjakarta will provide free of charge transportation for the official journalists. They will also provide 18 buses in Palembang for them. Along with that they prepared 5,000 hotel rooms as part of accommodation besides the Athletics Villages.
This time the athletes will participate in 463 events in 67 disciplines of 40 sports which consisted of 32 Olympic sports, five non-Olympic sports and three approved sports in the showpiece event.
Athletics, Aquatic, Archery, Boxing, Badminton, Basketball, Cycling, Canoe/Kayak, Equestrian, Football, Fencing, Gymnastic, Golf, Hockey, Handball, Judo, Karate, Pentathlon (modern), Rugby, Rowing, Shooting, Sailing, Triathlon, Tennis, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Softball/Baseball, Sporting climbing and Skateboard are Olympic sports, while non-Olympic sports comprises of Bowling, Cricket, Kabaddi, Sepak Takraw, Squash, Martial Arts coupled with paragliding, Jet ski and Bridge have included in approved sports.
Bangladesh are taking part in 14 events including football, hockey, rowing, athletics, swimming, shooting, archery, kabaddi (mens and womens), beach volleyball, bridge, wrestling, weightlifting, Golf. Football (mens), hockey and Basketball (3X3) among them are team events.
A 160-member Bangladesh contingent led by Lt General (retd) Abul Hossain will fly to Indonesia, splitting into five batches, which will open with the football team on August 14.
The last batch of Bangladesh (athletics) will leave Dhaka for Jakarta on August 22, four days after the onset of the Games.
