Former athletes welcome forest plan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Retired athletes, fondly remembering their glory days at the now- named Bung Karno Sports Complex (GBK), threw their weight behind the GBK management's plan to turn the eastern parking lot into an urban forest in the near future.

"I'm very sad to have witnessed the sports complex become what it is nowadays," said former high jumper Titik S. Sudibyo, 68. "The documentary movie dragged me back to the time when I stayed at the athletes village in the sports complex. Those were the greatest days of our lives".

Titik was commenting on a video screened at The History of the Bung Karno Sports Complex exhibition at Plaza Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.

The three-day exhibition was aimed at socializing the plan to transform the parking lot into an urban forest. The project will cost Rp 30 billion (US$3.53 million) and is expected to start in October.

The project, will involve removing the asphalt from the 80,000 square meter parking lot, the drilling of 80 artesian wells, fencing work and the planting of 50,000 trees.

Former swimmer Zoraya Perucha welcomed the project and even asked the management "to keep the complex clean from drugs".

The 1996 Olympic gold medalist shuttler, Ricky Subagja, hoped that the plan would make the sports complex a more pleasant and safe environment in the future.

"The complex is not as safe as it used to be. Somebody even broke into my car and stole my things," he said.

A survey conducted during the exhibition showed that Jakartans perceive the plan as an improvement.

"From 7,000 visitors, 99 percent supported our regreening plan," said the exhibition organizer, Linda Djalil.

Besides the regreening project, the management will also relocate registered street vendors to certain areas inside the complex.