Jatiluhur dam ready to host SEAG events
Jatiluhur dam ready to host SEAG events
JAKARTA (JP): The Jatiluhur dam in Purwakarta, West Java, only
needs minor renovations to prepare it for the 19th Southeast
Asian Games next year.
"We hope that the renovations, which are due to start in July,
will be completed in September," said Soetono Goenadi, executive
director of the Indonesian Rowing Association, yesterday.
The Jatiluhur dam has been the permanent home for both
national and international rowing, canoeing, kayaking and
traditional boat race championships.
Goenadi said that the sports will take place for a week during
the Games and will offer 31 gold medals.
About 600 athletes from 10 participating countries, including
Indonesia, will have to arrange for all equipment to arrive at
the venue between six months and two weeks before the Games,
which will be opened on Oct. 11 by the President.
The National Sports Council deputy chairman Arie Soedewo, who
has inspected several venues, foresaw few problems over the dam
hosting Games events.
"I expect places around the venue, like hotels, to be
renovated in order to make the dam look better," he told Antara.
But Arie expressed disappointment Wednesday as some venues in
the Senayan sports complex still need major renovations because
they look very dirty and unfit to host an international event.
He said that most of the required renovations are of toilets
and locker rooms.
"The renovations should be better than the last National Games
because this time we are hosting an international event. I hope
we can make Senayan like the venues in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last
year, which were very clean and tidy," he said.
"I hope the Gelora Senayan management board is able to
cooperate with the underwriting consortium to prepare the venues,
so we won't be embarrassed by hosting the Games," he said.
Although the organizing committee has only 10 months to
prepare everything for the Games, Arie expressed optimism that
everything will be completed in time.
Some venues still need changes, like electronic scoreboards,
improved dressing rooms and smarter VIP lounges and lobbies.
"The Istora sports hall, which will host indoor volleyball,
will not be renovated because it meets international standards,"
he said.
Arie said that the organizers are planning to build a Rp 1.2
billion (US$508,000) artificial hockey pitch in the complex.
"We'll have two pitches, one is grass for warming-up and the
synthetic for matches," he said. (yan)