JakartaPost-Nov 19
President Joko Widodo this week announced Indonesia’s formal bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics in the currently unbuilt new capital city of Nusantara, raising the stakes on infrastructure development as well as reforms in the sporting sector following the tragic death of hundreds of people in a post-soccer match stampede. Jokowi revealed the decision on the margins of the Group of 20 Summit in Bali on Wednesday. “I hereby announce Indonesia’s readiness and willingness to host the 2036 Olympics in the capital city of Nusantara,” the President said in a televised statement. At a separate press conference alongside International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali reiterated the bid. “We are very serious about it. We’ve had experiences hosting multidisciplinary sports events, and they were all successful,” said Amali. In a little over a decade, Indonesia has hosted the 2018 Asian Games and the 2011 SEA Games, but aside from being considerably smaller in scale, these events were held in Jakarta and Palembang, two existing major cities with the necessary supporting infrastructure. While construction for the new capital city project had already commenced in July, doubts still remain over the megaproject’s future after Japan’s Softbank Group withdrew its funding support in March. Located on the east coast of Kalimantan, the first phase of Nusantara’s construction is scheduled for completion by 2024, with Jokowi planning to inaugurate the city before his term ends. But the project will not be fully realized until 2045, when the city is expected to form part of a tri-city ecosystem with neighboring Balikpapan and Samarinda. This fact has not tempered Bach’s expectations, with the IOC president welcoming Indonesia’s bid for the 2036 Olympics in a press release. “Having seen a presentation of the Nusantara project and the progress already achieved, I am deeply impressed by the vision of President Widodo to develop this city as a model for sustainable living, with a special emphasis on health and sport,” said Bach. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/sports/2022/10/04/saudi-to-host-asian-winter-games-in-neom-megacity.html.
