2018 Indonesian Asian Games Repeat Success in 1962

Indonesia is hosting the Asian Games or the 18th Asian Games. According to the schedule, the opening will be held on August 18, 2018. Jakarta and Palembang are chosen as the organizing centers, although some cities will take part as the venue for the competition.

If traced to its history, this is the second time Indonesia has the opportunity to host.

Previously, Indonesia had hosted the 1962 Asian Games which was held on August 24 – September 4, 1962, in Jakarta.

The process of determining Indonesia as the host of the 1962 Asian Games was interesting because it had to compete tightly with Karachi (Pakistan) which also submitted itself as the host.

From the results of the vote, Jakarta (Indonesia) won 22 votes, winning two votes over Karachi who won 20 votes.

The selection process and the determination of the host at that time was carried out in 1958, meaning that Indonesia only had 4 years to prepare everything. Various facilities for the implementation of sports competitions and other supporting infrastructure are accelerated.

The process of building various supporting infrastructure is fairly short.

A Japanese envoy who came to monitor the preparation of the 1962 Asian Games even to the point of admiring the Indonesian nation.

“This is a crazy nation, can prepare all questions in a matter of months, by building a giant stadium as well as moving the population without fuss. The leadership is extraordinary.”

Apart from the Indonesian controversy as the host who does not invite Israel and Taiwan who are members of the Asian Games Federation – in honor of the Arab countries and the People’s Republic of China who are having bad diplomatic relations with the country – in general the implementation of the 1962 Asian Games took place successful and smooth.

Opening of the 1962 Asian Games, Jakarta (Photo: intisari.grid.id)
Opening of the 1962 Asian Games, Jakarta (Photo: intisari.grid.id)
At that time Indonesia was successful as the host of the organizer, and followed the achievements of our athletes who competed in various sports.

The results of the match for almost a month finally succeeded in placing Indonesia as runner-up or second overall champion, after Japan, with a total of 77 medals which consisted of 21 gold, 26 silver and 30 bronze. What a proud achievement.

tidal

Admittedly, Indonesia’s achievements in various international sporting events have experienced ups and downs.

Never mind repeating the second championship achievement 56 years ago, being the best in the Southeast Asia region (Sea Games), in recent times, Indonesia continues to experience failure to win the overall champion.

In the Asian Games scene, Indonesia’s best achievement in addition to being a runner-up was in the top 5 positions. That also only happened in three editions, 1962, 1970, and 1974. In addition to the 1962 edition, in organizing the 6th Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970, Indonesia was ranked 4th out of 18 participating countries with 23 medals, namely 2 gold, 5 silver, and 17 bronze. Then at the 7th Asian Games in Tehran, Iran, 1-16 September 1974, Indonesia won 3 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze, while occupying 5th place. The rest, Indonesia’s best achievements only managed to sit on the top 10.

In 1951 in New Delhi, India, for example, Indonesia ranked 7th with 5 bronze medals; In 1966 in Bangkok, Thailand, ranked 6th with 7 gold, 4 silver and 10 bronze; In 1978 in Bangkok, Thailand, it was ranked 7th with 8 gold, 7 silver and 18 bronze; In 1982 New Delhi, India, was ranked 6th with 4 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze; In 1986 in Seoul, Korea, Indonesia won 9th place with 1 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze; Finally, the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China, Indonesia ranked 7th with 3 gold, 6 silver and 21 bronze.

Finally, at the 2014 Asian Games, the red and white team only won 20 medals consisting of 4 gold, 5 silver and 11 bronze from the 23 branches followed (a total of 37 branches competed). With these results, Indonesia ranked 17th.

Repeat achievements

When Indonesia is officially appointed as the host of the 2018 Asian Games, important questions that arise in the public mind, can we, both from the organizers and participants?

Our mission as a nation to answer that question. This responsibility is inherent to all, not only to the government.

The success or failure of holding the 2018 Asian Games will be a bet on the reputation of the nation in the eyes of the international community.

The President promotes the Asian Games through a jacket (Photo: kompas.com)
The President promotes the Asian Games through a jacket (Photo: kompas.com)
Hosting a grand party like the Asian Games on the positive side can be seen as an opportunity to promote Indonesia in the eyes of the world.

This is an opportunity to show how beautiful and rich this nation is. Similarly in terms of economics and business, many benefits can be gained. The success of hosting organizers will be greatly influenced by the seriousness, ability and readiness of the central and regional governments to mobilize all parties to participate take part in succeeding it. Infrastructure development targets supporting the implementation of activities must be carried out according to the target time and quality. Furthermore, mobilizing promotional functions so that this activity really gets the attention of the public. Indonesia must be able to be a good host for all guests / participating ambassadors.

infrastructure development (Photo: kompas.com) infrastructure development (Photo: kompas.com) In terms of achievement as participants, this also becomes a mission that is no less important. The broad support of the Indonesian community as the host should be a encouragement for every athlete who competes to fight as much as possible to achieve achievements. We take a simple example of the 2018 World Cup event which is currently taking place in Russia. The football public is currently amazed by the achievements of the National Team Russia, which has so far managed to advance to the quarter-finals. In the round of 16, Russia even managed to overthrow Spain which had felt the European Cup and even the World Cup. It is undeniable, the factor of host support is considered as one of the most important things influence the spirit of the players when competing in the field. We hope that at the same time we are sure that Indonesian athletes can do it. With realistic calculations, winning the overall title or runner-up may be too heavy. However, to just reach the top ten or even the top five it should not be a grandiose dream. Achieving as many medals as possible from every competition contested is the key. We hope that Indonesia’s opportunity to host the 2018 Asian Games will have to be a momentum for the revival of our sports achievements. With enthusiasm and hard work, we can certainly do it. it feels realistic, not a dream.