Indonesia sees Malaysia, Hong Kong as strong rivals in Asiad bidding
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's lobbying team for the 2006 Asian Games hosts sees Malaysia and Hong Kong as tough rivals in the bidding in October 2000.
The team's vice chairman, Enny Hardjanto, told reporters on Friday that Malaysia had recent experience hosting the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur while Hong Kong was better known as a commercial country.
"We have to be serious in preparing ourselves to bid to be the Asiad host. We must make the bidding package professionally and it must contain a full explanation of Indonesia's preparations, from the facilities to other sectors," she said.
Seven countries are bidding to host the 2006 Asiad. They are Malaysia, Hong Kong, Qatar, Syria, Uzbekistan, India and Indonesia, which hosted the fourth Asiad in 1962.
KONI vice chairman and OCA member Mohammad Bob Hasan said Indonesia would have to face a tough battle to win the bid.
"In the 1998 Asiad, Thailand only had Kaohsiung in Chinese Taipei as a rival. But now we are facing six contenders," he said.
KONI plans to campaign for the bidding during the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei Darussalam from Aug. 7 to Aug. 15. It had planned to campaign at a cocktail party but the decision was changed to a breakfast meeting on Aug. 6.
"About 100 representatives of the Olympics Council of Asia (OCA) members, the 10 participating countries' contingents and sports federations are expected to attend the breakfast," said spokesman Ahmed Solichin.
During the breakfast, Enny will deliver a 10-minute speech on Indonesia's preparations for the Games and display a videotape showing of the country's scenery and sports facilities and plans for staging the event.
Indonesia has a Rp 2.5 billion (US$365,000) budget for the bidding proposal to the OCA in October next year.
"If we are appointed as the host, we must provide abound US$2 billion to stage the event. The money, mostly, will come from TV rights and official sponsors," Enny said.
Hasan said that if Indonesia is chosen as the host, the country must cooperate with a marketing company appointed by the OCA.
"The profits of the Asiad will be cut by the OCA," he said.
In the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, host Thailand earned a profit of $90 million. OCA received around $4 million and its 43 country members also shared a total of $4 million.
KONI has selected the National Monument as its logo and the orangutan as its mascot.
Indonesia plans to renovate the Senayan sports complex and build athlete villages in a lot in Patal Senayan and a lot in the Senayan area, next to the Fairbanks apartment in Central Jakarta. (yan)