Preparations for the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia will be hampered if the government and the House of Representatives do not make this sporting extravaganza a national priority.
A sense of apprehension is growing because the funding for the extravaganza is the main obstacle. This year the Youth and Sports Ministry only allocated Rp 500 billion from the total Rp 3.7 trillion demanded by the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (Inasgoc).
Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi is still in the dark about getting additional funding of Rp 1.8 trillion. The minister hopes the government will provide additional funding for the Asian Games through a Revised State Budget draft, which usually begins to be discussed in June. Imam also hopes that not all the costs of the Asian Games will be borne by the government.
As an illustration, the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, consumed around Rp 21.7 trillion, 19 percent of which came from the South Korean government, while the remaining 79.9 percent came from the Incheon City administration, 0.1 percent from other city administrations and two percent from the private sector.
Initially, the budget for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra, was set at Rp 7 trillion and then later increased to Rp 8 trillion. It is not unlikely that all the costs will be borne by the government.
This is not the first time we have felt worried about the execution of international sporting competitions in the country, the last being the 2011 SEA Games. The preparations for the SEA Games were finalized in the last minutes before the opening ceremony.
Indeed, it is rather difficult to expect private business to sponsor a multibranch sporting event like the Asian Games. Only the Olympics has thus far been able to deliver financial benefits to sponsors. We know though that Greece’s economy has been declining after the country hosted the 2004 Olympic Games.
If the cost of the Asian Games is a problem now and we need private sponsorship, wasn’t the government aware of the consequences when in 2014 Indonesia was nominated as a host country for the event? Was the House invited to discuss the funding then?
These questions arise because we have not seen any full support from the House. The Rp 8 trillion cost, in fact, does not included expenses for hospital development, sports venues and infrastructure repairs commensurate with the standards set by the Olympic Council of Asia.
We agree that holding the 2018 Asian Games is a moment for national prestige, and it will hurt our national pride if we fail to perform. Hence, it is high time for all stakeholders to stand united to make this sporting extravaganza successful.
