Games organizers spends Rp 60.4b on staging events

JAKARTA (JP): The 19th SEA Games organizing committee has spent nearly Rp 60.4 billion (US$20,117,400) preparing to stage the event here next month.

Arief Widodo Tjandrawinata, the organizers' planning and budget deputy, said yesterday that the organizers expected to receive Rp 20.7 billion of their budget in September and Rp 23.3 billion in October from the Games consortium, which is chaired by President Soeharto's son Bambang Tri Hatmodjo.

The total budget for the event is Rp 105,661,050,000.

So far, the organizers have received Rp 40.2 billion.

Rp 13.3 billion of this comes from sponsorships, Rp 20.55 billion from sticker sales, Rp 675 million from merchandising and city decorations. There was also a Rp 5.7 billion donation from Bimantara cars and the National Private Banks Association.

The Rp 60.4 billion which has been spent to date includes Rp 24.3 billion to the national training program to prepare the country's athletes for the biennial event, which starts on Oct. 11 and ends on Oct. 19.

The original budget for training was Rp 35 billion and the consortium plans to hand it over by the end of this month.

Arief, known as Okky, said the organizers would have to spend Rp 7.8 billion of the total Rp 8.7 billion on sports equipment.

"Equipment for the rowing, yachting, and track and field events is still being held at the port, waiting for the paperwork to be completed," he said.

"We are also waiting for three containers of sound equipment for the Senayan Main Stadium. We hope we can deliver all equipment by the end of this month."

Okky said the organizers would also have to spend Rp 9.2 billion of the 13.1 billion total budget on other equipment needed to support the events or to stage the Games.

Rp 9.2 billion will be used to rent manual electronic scoring boards at a cost of Rp 943 million; buy 22 security doors at a cost of Rp 900 million; pay for official's and Indonesian athletes' uniforms (Rp 1.9 billion); produce medals (Rp 300.35 million); and make ID cards for participants (Rp 478).

Okky said the organizers had ordered 13,000 pairs of shoes for the torch runners.

"But since the organizers changed the plan to move the lighting of the torch from Borobudur temple in Central Java to Jakarta, we'll give shoes to LOs (liaison officers)," he said.

"I have given 2,000 pairs to our rowers at Jatiluhur dam. However, we'll still have about 2,000 extra and I think we can sell them as merchandise during the Games," he added.

The Bimantara group, owned by Bambang, will also provide nearly 200 South-Korean made Hyundai sedans, known as Bimantara cars, and about 400 12-seater vans for the VIPs and athletes.

The organizers have spent about Rp 4.2 billion on transportation.

Rp 3 billion has been spent on transporting the 5,000 dancers who have been practicing for the opening and closing ceremonies for the last two months.

Earlier yesterday, State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman reported to President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace on the progress of the Games preparations.

Hayono emphasized measures toward budget efficiency by citing the decision to move the torch lighting ceremony from Borobudur to the capital.

"If we light the torch at the ASEAN Secretariat, we need less than Rp 50 million, compared to the original budget of Rp 1.3 billion (for the Borobudur to Jakarta ceremony)," he said.

"The opening and closing ceremonies must not be very luxurious because the most important thing is what the athletes achieve during the event," he added. (prb/yan)