Indonesia gears up for Asian Games, MotoGP

Jakarta, Jan 11 (IANS) The Indonesian government on Monday reviewed preparations for hosting the Asian Games in 2018 and the Indonesian Moto GP 2017 to ensure that the two international sports events are held successfully.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo held a cabinet meeting on Monday to make sure that preparations are on track and to speed up the work, reports Xinhua.

"I want to ask again particularly about the preparation of venues," Widodo said.

During the meeting, Widodo set a target that the venues will be made ready this year.

"The details are important as the time for the event to kick off is near. We must work much faster," he said.

Widodo also checked the preparations for other facilities, and the transportation arrangements in particular.

Indonesia has only a four-year period for preparation compared with the normal time of six years.

The country was awarded the Asian Games in September 2014 following the withdrawal of original host Vietnam due to economic reasons.

The Asian Games are to be held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and the provinces of South Sumatra, West Java and Banten, according to the presidential office.

A monitoring post will also be set up at the main sports stadium in Jakarta to inspect the progress of the work, Sport Minister Imam Nahrowi told Xinhua.

Indonesia aims to be among the top five at the Asian Games with 10-18 gold medals, Djoko Pekik Irianto, a deputy in the sport ministry, said.