'The government doesn't care about sports'

Green, open spaces for Jakarta residents to participate in sporting activities are on the decline. Many children have to use the streets in which to play soccer while the haves must dig deep into their pockets to make regular visits to fitness centers and other sporting facilities. The Jakarta Post talked to some people on where they go to get exercise.

Abud, 27, is an accountant at a finance company in South Jakarta. He lives in Panglima Polim, South Jakarta:

I can be categorized as an unhealthy person because I rarely work out, I smoke and I'm a coffee fiend.

I've always wanted to go regularly to a fitness center for exercise, but somehow I can't fit it into my schedule, not even on weekends. I'd rather sleep or just hang out at a cafe or somewhere like that.

So I don't think the real problem is whether Jakartans have a place to exercise, but whether they have the time to do so in this very hectic city.

I know there are those lifestyle magazines that give tips saying you can get exercise in between your office hours without going to a special place. Well, I think that's all nonsense. No offense, but calling chess or card games sports sounds ridiculous.

To me, exercise means doing 'real sports', like playing soccer. That type of activity is where I can work up a proper sweat and get so tired that I can really sleep well and feel fit and refreshed afterwards.

Astuti, is an employee at a private company in Slipi, West Jakarta. She lives in Tangerang with her husband and two children:

When I was still single, I found time to go to a fitness center for aerobics or a swim. I had been doing sports regularly since I was in elementary school.

But since I got married and had kids, I've found it increasingly difficult to devote any real time to working out. Sometimes the four of us go swimming in the swimming pool in our housing complex or at my son's school. Or, my husband and son go hit some balls at a golf driving range. To enjoy those facilities, we must pay a price though.

I wish we had sporting facilities -- such as an inexpensive sports hall, a soccer and athletic stadium with a swimming pool -- in every district in the country. But it's impossible. Maybe it remains a wish forever, because the government doesn't care about sports.

-- The Jakarta Post