RI hopeful of hosting 2006 Asian Games

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is ready to host the 2006 Asian Games but is doubtful of its chances of hosting the Olympics in 2008.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said last night after the four-day National Sports Coordinating Meeting and the National Sports Conference that the National Sports Council had promised to prepare to stage the quadrennial event, possibly outside the capital.

"The council also guarantees to train its athletes to achieve their best performances ever, to finish sixth in the event," he said.

However, Hayono admitted that Indonesia would most likely be unable to fulfill its ambition to stage the 2008 Olympics. He did not explain why this was the case.

"Hopefully, we can stage the event in 2012," he said.

Hayono said the government would observe the country's situation in 2002 before submitting a proposal to the International Olympic Committee to stage the event.

"If we can solve our poverty problems in 2003, hopefully we can still submit the proposal," he said.

"This is our ambition. Based on our situation now, we can only stage the 2006 Asian Games," he added.

Hayono said that Indonesia was learning a lesson from South Korea, which successfully staged the Asian Games in 1986 and the Olympics two years later. (yan)