The past couple of days have seen a variety of sports competitions across soccer, basketball, water polo, paragliding and handball, ahead of the official opening.
To be attended by 45 countries from August 18 to September 2, the 18th Asian Games 2018 will feature 462 events across 40 sports, of which 32 are Olympic sports and eight are non-Olympic sports. The organizers hope the sports events will attract some five billion spectators from across the world.
"We are targeting five billion pairs of eyes from around the world that will watch the Asian Games," Danny Buldansyah, media and PR director of INASGOC (Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee), noted at a Media Personnel Technical Coordination meeting in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, on Friday (August 3)
This year will be the second time that Indonesia is hosting the Asian Games. It hosted the Asian sporting event for the first time in 1962, the fourth one after the Asian Games were first held in New Delhi, India, in 1951.
Indonesia is aiming to emerge as one of the top 10 at the 18th Asian Games 2018. "We have to stick to our target. We want to secure a place in the top 10 at the Asian Games. We have to make sure of it and accelerate the exercises. Athletes should be sent abroad (for tryouts)," Jusuf Kalla, the chairman of the 18th Asian Games 2018 Steering Committee, who is also the Indonesian Vice President, said last year (October 25).
Indonesia was ranked 17th on the medals tally at the 17th Asian Games 2014 among 37 participating countries in Incheon, South Korea, with four gold medals, five silver and 11 bronze medals.
China, which has been the overall champion for nine times in a row since the 9th Asian Games in 1982, was at the top of the list with 151 gold, 108 silver and 83 bronze medals at the 17th Asian Games in 2018.
Japan had been the consecutive overall champion eight times since the first games in New Delhi in 1951, but was overtaken by China since the ninth sporting event in New Delhi in 1982.
During the 4th Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962, Indonesia as the host was the runner-up with 21 gold medals, 26 silver and 30 bronze medals, behind Japan who was the overall champion with 73 gold, 65 silver and 23 bronze medals.
This time, the Indonesian government hopes Indonesia will be one among the 10 biggest countries, eyeing a minimum of 16 gold medals.
Badminton has, so far, been considered one of the sports branches that has the potential to contribute to gold medals.
Indonesia`s Chef de Mission to Asian Games 2018 Syafruddin said on Saturday (August 11) that he hoped the country`s athletic team would win five gold medals during the events scheduled in Jakarta from August 25 to 30.
"(We must win) as many as possible. If possible (we could), at least win five gold medals. We have a good history in the athletic field, and that is why I keep encouraging athletes to do their best in the competition," he said when visiting the athletic training center at Madya Stadium.
Tono Suratman, Chairman of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI), is convinced that Indonesia could achieve the top 10 level at the Asian Games 2018, although the Indonesia Gold Program Executing Task Force (Satlak Prima) has been disbanded.
To motivate its athletes, the Indonesian government has offered Rp1.5 billion (more than US$100,000) to each gold medalist. "This bonus will be the highest in the history of the Asian Games," Indonesian Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi stated.
The Asian Games events will take place in the two cities of Jakarta and the South Sumatran province of Palembang.
In order to provide security for the athletes and officials, then Deputy Police Chief, who was appointed as a cabinet minister this week, Com. Gen. Syafruddin said earlier, the national police had carried out high-level security preparations to ensure the successful implementation of the Asian Games this year.
A joint force of 60,000 police and military personnel has been tasked with maintaining security ahead of and during the events, according to Syafruddin, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Asian Games contingent.
Reporter: Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
