Asian Games 2018: China official says low-income Indonesians will benefit from Games legacy
Wei Jizhong says the Indonesian government has worked hard down the final stretch in its efforts to ensure a successful and safe Games
Veteran China sports official Wei Jizhong has made an impassioned defence of Indonesia’s Asian Games efforts, saying the 2018 event will leave a legacy unlike any before it – with low-income Indonesians to benefit.
Wei, who played a key role in negotiations that allowed Hong Kong to retain its sporting autonomy after the 1997 handover to China, said the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang were all about the people.
“I’ve been involved in the organisation of eight Asian Games,” said Wei, who attended the opening ceremony for the Asian Games Main Media Centre in Jakarta on Thursday as honorary life vice-president of the Olympic Council of Asia. “And no Games is identical, all of them present their own difficulties and problems.
“With Indonesia they started very slow, we must admit, but in the final stage, in the final dash, it was good. And when it comes to legacy, I can say the legacy will be positive, to the people.”
He said the apartment buildings at the athletes’ villages in Jakarta and Palembang would be used as housing for low-income Indonesians after the Games.