Govt will not build new venues in bid for Asiad

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)