The year of 2018 is a busy time for sporting events, with not only
the World Cup in Russia but also the upcoming Asian Games, which will be
hosted by Indonesia in Jakarta, the country’s capital, and Palembang,
the capital of South Sumatra.
Driving through the roads of Jakarta, one can see the city preparing for the 18th
Asian Games with banners installed around the city, old sports
facilities being renovated and new infrastructure being built to support
the games.
Though Indonesia is no stranger to hosting the Asian Games, being the
host country at this time has many positive implications. The games
will commence one day after Indonesia celebrates 73 years of
independence. From August 18 to September 2, Indonesia will welcome
around 15,000 athletes and distinguished delegates from 45 OCA member nations, the largest number in Asian Games history.
The first benefit of being the host is that Indonesia has the
opportunity to strengthen the country’s national pride. Indonesia is
made up of more than 17,000 islands, characterized by differences in
language, culture and history.
The Asian Games logo, Energy of Asia, depicts the “strengthening spirit of the Games, participated in by multicultural nations shining for all the world to see.”
This year, the mascots, Bhin Bhin, Atung and Kaka, wear traditional
attire inspired by Papua, Jakarta and Palembang. Thus, hosting the Asian
Games creates a space for unifying the country by bringing people from
the various islands together under one country.
In addition, the Asian Games bring Asian countries together as a
unified continent. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee as
the largest multi-sport event after the Olympics, the Asian Games sheds
positive light on the region to outshine the current political and
maritime issues. In fact, amid the recent reconciliation talks between
North and South Korea, both nations have agreed to march under a unified
peninsula flag and form combined teams to compete in the games. This
exemplifies the games’ promotion of peace and harmony in the region, and
therefore, the world.
