"Yes, I once imagined that because the Olympics is a global event and its universality should be reflected not only through the participation of 206 countries but also by holding the Olympics in the region," Thomas Bach stated in a press conference here on Sunday.
According to Bach, there are still two white areas on the map that are absent from the Olympics.
The first area is Africa. Therefore, the IOC has decided to hold the Summer Youth Olympics in Africa in 2022.
Botswana, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia have expressed their interests in holding the sports event in 2022.
Meanwhile, the second region is Southeast Asia.
"I imagine the Olympics could be held in your region. In this region, I think Indonesia is one of the best places and countries to hold the event," Bach said.
Bach also lauded the success of organizing the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang and stressed that it could be an initial step for Indonesia to hold bigger sports events such as the Olympics.
Earlier, on Saturday (Sep 1), Bach met President Joko Widodo at Bogor Palace, West Java.
On that occasion, President Joko Widodo told Bach that Indonesia was ready to run for the 2032 Summer Olympics.
The proposal received positive responses from Bach and Asian Olympic Council President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.
(KR-LWA/S012)
Reported by Suharto
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
