Daily Times

The Indonesian Embassy organized a lively Fun Walk to mark the upcoming 18th Asian Games scheduled to be held from 18 August to 2 September 2018 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

The Fun Walk was attended by the Indonesian Ambassador Mr. Iwan S. Amri, diplomats and the Indonesian community in high number. On Embassy’s invitation the guest of honor Secretary General Pakistan Olympic Association, Mr. Muhammad Khalid Mahmood along with other senior officials and athletes also joined the Fun Walk.

Speaking at the opening ceremony the Indonesian Ambassador welcomed the participants and informed that the Fun Walk was being organized in connection with the celebration of the upcoming 73rd Indonesian Independence Day falling on August 17, 2018.

He said that Fun Walk also highlights the 18the Asian Games the “Energy of Asia” meant much more than just sports performances but it was bringing 45 nations across Asia in the quest for excellence with the message of Asian values of friendship and respect, peace and tolerance and to show the true spirit of sportsmanship.

The Ambassador said that it was a great honor for Indonesia to be the host of the 18th Asian Games which is the biggest sports event in Asia. He informed that the mega international sports event will be inaugurated in a grand opening ceremony by the Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta.

Welcoming the Secretary General Pakistan Olympic Association for his presence at the Fun Walk the Ambassador expressed his pleasure that around 397 Pakistani athletes were expected to participate in the Asian Games 2018. He admired the personal interest of Mr. Khalid Mahmood and POA efforts in ensuring Pakistani athletes participation in the sports event.

The Ambassador was confident that all the participating athletes have worked really hard to rise to the challenge and show the magic of their talent through their performances and conduct. He hoped that the Pakistani athletes while in Indonesia will experience best sports facilities and above all will enjoy the warmth and hospitality of the Indonesian people.

He said that Indonesia and Pakistan were both wonderful sports loving nations. He noted with interest that cricket and hockey were among most popular sports in Pakistan while Indonesia had great sports traditions of playing badminton, tennis, soccer, basketball and martial arts.

The Secretary General Pakistan Olympic Association in his remarks expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador for inviting him and his colleagues to be part of the Fun Walk. He said that it was their privilege to convey their strong feelings of friendship and to congratulate Indonesia for being the host nation of the Asian Games. He said he and his colleagues were here to represent those 397 strong Pakistan contingent that will participate in the Asian Games. He informed that it was the largest ever Pakistani contingent participating in any international sports event. He said the contingent was really excited about their participation in the historical Games and look forward not only to perform well to win medals but also to win hearts of the sports enthusiasts.

Later following the ceremony, the participants men, women, children all joined the Fun Walk in a festive manner and had great time together covering about 3 kilometer distance to arrive back at the Embassy.

For the first time, the Asian Games are being co-hosted in two cities; the Indonesian capital of Jakarta which also hosted the Games for the first time back in 1962, and Palembang, the capital of the South Sumatra province. Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. There are up to 45 nations across Asia Participating in 462 event of 40 sports categories.

Published in Daily Times, July 9^th 2018.