Jakarta invites world athletes

Jakarta invites world athletes

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration looks set to organize an international
sports event to highlight the city's 477th anniversary next June,
inviting athletes from sister cities.

"We have invited representatives from our sister city
administrations ... but are still waiting to hear which cities
are confirmed to participate in the tournament," Governor
Sutiyoso said at City Hall.

The sister-city invitees are from Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Los
Angeles and New South Wales.

The tournament will be part of a month-long celebration of the
capital's anniversary, which falls on June 22.

The tournament, according to Sutiyoso, will consist of a
basketball tournament and a 10-kilometer (km) run.

"We shall also invite internationally acclaimed runners, the
world's 12 best, to take part in the 10-km run," he said.

The basketball tournament will be organized by the Jakarta
Youth and Sports Agency and will be held at several basketball
courts in the city, including the controversial Kelapa Gading
sports center.

The newly built sports center in North Jakarta sparked protest
from residents and urban activists as it was built on public
space that was meant to function as a water catchment.

City spokesman Muhayat added the unprecedented championship
was part of efforts to promote Jakarta abroad.

The idea of holding an international sporting event, according
to Muhayat, came up in previous meetings between leaders of the
sister cities.

"Sports was suggested as a way of strengthening ties between
the cities.

"Basketball is often proposed as the sport as it is popular in
each of the cities," he said.

If basketball was meant to unite the sister cities, then the
10-km race was designed to attract Jakartans to participate in
the event, he added.