The president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said Sunday that Jakarta is fully ready to host the next Asian Games, blowing away concerns that the newly elected city has little time for preparation.
Asia's top sporting governing body rubber stamped Indonesia's capital as the host of the 18th Asiad on Saturday to replace Vietnam, which gave up its hosting rights over financial concerns.
The next Asian Games were scheduled for 2019, a year before the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but Jakarta asked to move them to 2018 due to its presidential election in 2019.
OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said Jakarta deserves to hold the continent's biggest sports event and Indonesia has already prepared for the event to some extent as it bid against Vietnam for the 2019 event.
"All the facilities already have been built and exist in Indonesia. And they've hosted many world games, like the Islamic Solidarity Games. They have hosted many multi-sport games during the last three years," Sheikh Ahmad told reporters in a press conference held in the main media center in Incheon, where the 2014 Asiad is underway.
"They are capable of hosting the Asian Games," he added.
Sheikh Ahmad said that the Asian Games now have a good regional balance in hosting countries, moving from two Northeast Asian countries to a Southeast Asian nation. Before Guangzhou of China and Incheon of South Korea, the quadrennial event was held in Doha, Qatar.
"We are happy to be back because the last two games were in East Asia, and this time will be the same region as Vietnam, Central East Asia," said Sheikh Ahmad.
Indonesia's sports chief said it is an honor to host the country's first Asiad in nearly 60 years. Jakarta hosted the 1962 Asiad.
"We bid for the Asian Games two years ago, but we lost to Vietnam," Indonesian National Olympic Committee President Rita Subowo said. "We are confident that we are going to fulfill all the (OCA) requirements." (Yonhap)
