Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The upcoming implementation of the 18th Asian Games is expected to help boost Indonesian economy, according to an economist of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara.

"The organizing of Asian Games will certainly have an impact on the economy of Indonesia, it (economy) can grow, "Bhima said here on Thursday.

The Asian Games events, can encourage people to shop, especially athletes, officials and visitors, so the economy can continue to grow, he remarked.

"It could happen that the visitors or tourists who earlier only intend to watch the game, they all of a sudden shop in Indonesia, let alone the price is also cheap," Bhima said further.

Thus, income or foreign exchange may increase. Along with the increase in foreign exchange, the number of tourists in Indonesia during the Asian Games will also increase.

"The point is, after watching the games, the visitors can continue their trips to Bali, Lombok, Raja Ampat or to other tourist attractions. This can raise our foreign exchange," he explained.

Furthermore, he said, the growth of Indonesian economy can also be done by the number of perpetrators of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) involved in the Asian Games.

"The more UMKMs are involved in the Asian Games, the more job opportunities are available," Bhima said.

Indonesia will host the Asian Games for the second time this year, after Jakarta was selected as the venue for the Asian sporting event for the first time in 1962.

Jakarta and the South Sumatran Provincial capital of Palembang will host the biggest Asian sporting events from August 18 to September 2, 2018.

The games will be attended by 45 countries, and will feature 462 events in 40 sports, of which 32 are Olympic sports and eight are non-Olympic events.

The Olympic sports are Aquatics, Athletics, Fencing, Weightlifting, Basketball, Handball, Badminton, Baseball/Softball, Cycling, Equestrian, Golf, Wrestling, Hockey, Judo, Karate, Canoeing and Kayaking, Sailing, Shooting, Modern Pentathlon, Archery, Sport Climbing, Rowing, Rugby, Gymnastics, Roller Skating, Football, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Boxing, Triathlon, and Volleyball.

The non-Olympic sports are Bowling, Bridge, Cricket, Kabaddi, Martial Arts (including Jujitsu, Kurash, Pencak Silat, Sambo, and Wushu), Mechanical Sports (such as Paragliding and Jet skiing), Squash, and Sepak Takraw.

Reported by Cornea Khairany
Edited by Bustanudin

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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