Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) 2018 said here on Monday no chance was available for Indonesia to negotiate the number of branches to be competed in the Asian Games next year at the Olympic Council of Asia meeting on Sept 15-16.

"We have tried at the meeting in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) but OCA executives still considered the decision of the 7th coordination meeting of Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta on August 18 as the basis," INASGOC secretary general Eris Heryanto said.

INASGOC indeed has never announced the result of the coordination meeting as Indonesia still wished to maintain the number at 39.

"OCA considered the meeting in Jakarta was a high-level meeting and so if we failed to use it no hope would be available for a change," he said.

Indonesia, based on the result of the coordination meeting with OCA in Jakarta on August 18, will stage 40 sport branches for the 18th Asian Games 2018, which is one branch more than the countrys wish.

The additional sport branch to be competed in the games is a roller sport which consists of two events namely skateboard and roller skate.

"OCA states the sport branch would be competed in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 and so it must be avaiable at Asian Games 2018. The addition of the branch is an official request of OCA," he said.

Eris said OCA has pledged to help develop the court and the organization of the competition although Indonesia has not decided its venue which could be in Palembang in South Sumatra or Bandung, West Java.

The 7th coordination meeting in Jakarta has also decided the number of events for the Asian Games 2018 which is at 426.

"In Ashgabat we only exposed the preparations Indonesia has made for the Asian Games to OCA and 45 olympic committees from Asian countries. We screened a video depicting the countrys tourist objects as well as venues and their number for games in August 2018" he said.

Eris said he was ready to report thd result of the 34th OCA meeting to the chairman of the Asian Games steering council, Jusuf Kalla, who is the countrys vice president.

"The government has indeed called for efficiency but OCA has also requested that all sport branches to be competed in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 are included in the Asian Games," he said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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