While the idea of Indonesia hosting the Olympics might have seemed laughable one year ago, but in September, when President Joko Widodo announced his intention to put his country into the running to host the world’s most high-profile sporting event in 2032, people took the announcement much more seriously as it came on the heels of Indonesia’s widely praised performance hosting the 2018 Asian Games.
The road to 2032 is still very long, but Indonesia is one step towards attaining its Olympic hosting dream with its official inclusion on the earliest list of competing cities.
Last week, the Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Muliaman D Hadad delivered an official letter from President Joko Widodo to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“The IOC already knows Indonesia’s capabilities from hosting the Asian Games and Asian Paragames 2018,” Muliaman said as quoted by state news agency Antara. “We feel those give us a strong foundation.”
Among the other heavyweight countries Indonesia will have to contend with to earn hosting duties are Germany, Australia and India, as well as a joint bid from North and South Korea. They will have eight years to build their cases, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to decide upon the host city in 2025.
The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, while 2024’s will take place in Paris before moving to Los Angeles in 2028.
