Govt will not build new venues in bid for Asiad

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will not build any new sports venues to support its bid to host the 2006 Asian Games, chairman of the Gelora Senayan Management Board (BPGS), Muladi, has said.

Muladi, also Minister of Justice/State Secretary, said that instead of constructing new venues, which would cost a lot of money, the government preferred to renovate its 100 hectares of sports complexes to host the quadrennial event.

"It's really difficult to build a new sports complex because it costs a lot of money. It's better to renovate sports venues in and around the capital since they still meet international standard requirements," he said during a visit to the Senayan sports complex on Saturday. Muladi was accompanied by the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games training director, Imron ZS, and National Sports Council (KONI) official in charge of athletes development, Mochammad Hindarto.

Indonesia's proposal to bid to host the 2006 Asiad must be submitted in October 2000. The proposal must contain information on available funds, sports facilities, the athletes' village, media center, transportation, catering and security.

The Senayan sports complex was built by Indonesia's first president Sukarno to host the fourth Asian Games in 1962. The complex has a 110,000-seat soccer stadium, a track and field stadium, an indoor stadium, indoor halls, a swimming pool, clay and rebound ace surface tennis stadiums, squash courts, an artificial surface hockey field, an archery range, a shooting range, a basketball hall, a volleyball hall, a badminton hall and sand volleyball courts.

Indonesia will face tough challenges from other bidders Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Qatar, Syria and Uzbekistan.

KONI has set up a special team to lobby members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on the bid.

Indonesia's senior vice president of OCA, Mohammad "Bob" Hasan, had said earlier that KONI and the government must seriously prepare for the bid. Hasan named Jakarta or Surabaya as the strongest candidate if Indonesia wants to become the Asiad host.

Surabaya is scheduled to host the 15th National Games (PON) next year.

Muladi said BPGS was considering regaining land, currently leased to private companies, in 2003 at the latest to arrange a new inventory of the board's assets. He also said that the board would review the leasing deals with the private companies.

"We will renegotiate the deals and the new arrangement should be adjusted to the current economy condition," he said.

BPGS controls 279 hectares of land. Most of this is dedicated to sports venues, and some is being leased to 10 private firms for between 20 years and 40 years.

The companies are PT Kajima Overseas Asia, which occupies 20 hectares, PT Manggala Pratama (four hectares), PT Jakarta Country Club (four hectares), PT Sinar Kemala Intermetro Golf (30 hectares), PT Adil Andaru (5.5 hectares), PT Lingga Hamparan Krida (four hectares), PT Rajuli Adi Senayan (3,300 square meters), PT Indo Buildco (65,000 square meters), PT Wantas Perkasa Waya (four hectares) and PT Waskita Mustika Indah (one hectare).

To maintain all sports venues in the Senayan complex, the Gelora Senayan Executive Directors has, since 1989, received Rp 9 billion (US$1,3 million) funds annually from BPGS. (ivy)