Flanked by sports minister Imam Nahrawi, the President ran for a short distance to welcome the torch when it entered the gate of the palace and accepted it from Verawati Fajrin, a badminton player from the 1980s.
"I relay this Asian Games 2018 torch to the President, Bapak (Mr) Joko Widodo," Verawati said, while handing over the torch to the President.
Holding the torch in his right hand, President Jokowi, as he is also known, said, "I accept the torch to start the big event of the Asian Games 2018."
Flanked by Nahrawi and a line of athletes, President Jokowi then ran with the torch to the front of the honorary stage at the palace.
On the stage, he then handed over the torch to the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) chief, Erick Tohir.
Tohir then ran with the torch out of the palace to the National Monument close to the palace where it will be kept for a night before it will be taken again and brought to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 18th Asian Games.
Reporting by Hanni Sofia
Editing by Yoseph Hariyadi
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
