Macet, banjir, now the Asian Games…
Jakarta is proud to be co-hosting the 2018 Asian Games with Palembang. Whether the capital will be ready to host the biggest sporting event in Asia is another matter entirely.
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama admitted that the provincial government is struggling to get the capital ready to host the 2018 Asian Games.
“The more we think about this preparation the more stressed we get. But we will do our best. We still have three years to do our best,” Ahok said when he held a meeting with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at City Hall yesterday, as quoted by Merdeka.
Ahok added that one of the biggest problems the city is facing in the lead up to the Games is public transportation.
“What’s most important is the construction of the LRT (Light Rail Transit) from the airport to Kelapa Gading and Kemayoran. So the athletes can go straight to their accomodations from the airport,” Ahok said.
But construction on the Athlete’s Village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, has not even begun. Construction is scheduled to start as late as 2017.
“They (the developers) are committed. When the apartments are built, they won’t be sold [commercially] yet. They will be for the athletes. After the Asian Games, the apartments can be sold,” Ahok said.
Ahok is hoping that Jakarta will be ready to host the Asian Games by 2017.
“Everything’s approved. Palembang is only hosting six sporting competitions. Jakarta is hosting the rest. But we’re sure everything will be ready. Truthfully, this is a tough task for us, but we will work hard to accomplish it,” Ahok said.
