Support grows for new Games venue

JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the National Sports Council, Wismoyo Arismunandar, has joined the mounting chorus of support to hold the next National Games outside Jakarta.

Wismoyo told reporters, after watching the men's hockey final on Thursday, that the time had come to give other provinces a chance to host the quadrennial event for the sake of national sport's development.

"Boredom is not the reason to move the Games away from here. Staging such a big sporting meet in other provinces is necessary to encourage a fairer distribution of sport's development in this country." Wismoyo said.

Wismoyo was referring to Jakarta's long domination of national sport, and the teams from Java winning the lion's share of medals at the Games.

Wismoyo, a former Army chief of staff who was elected as the national sports chief early last year, suggested Surabaya, the country's second largest city, as the best candidate to host the Games.

The decision on which city is to host of the Games lies with the sports council, but only after consultation with the President.

The government has turned down all plans to move the Games from the capital city in the next 15 years, saying that to move the Games would distract it from its poverty alleviation program.

The first six National Games were held in different cities: in Surakarta in Central Java, then Jakarta, then Medan in North Sumatra, then Makasar (now Ujungpandang) in South Sulawesi, then Bandung in West Java and then Surabaya in East Java.

Support to move the Games away from Jakarta has also been given by sports observers and House members. Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, a noted sports observer, said the Games needed refreshing after staying here for 23 years.

Another observer, Sumohadi Marsis, said that maintaining Jakarta as the host of the Games was a setback, noting that the original purpose of the Games was to improve sporting performances and facilities in provinces other than Jakarta.

Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja, who was named chairman of the Games organizing committee for a second successive term, said that the Games were expensive for Jakarta, and he welcomed the idea of passing the baton to other provinces.

This year's Games cost the city Rp 11 billion (US$4.7 million). (amd)