Indonesia Vice President Jusuf Kalla (second from right) addresses the media at the HQ of Indonesia Asian Games Organising Committee (INASGOC) on Friday.

Jusuf Kalla, the Vice President of Indonesia, wants all venues for the 18th Asian Games to be completed by July 20 – almost one month before the opening ceremony on August 18.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the 50-day countdown on Friday, Mr Kalla said the July 20 target would show that co-host cities Jakarta and Palembang were ready to host the Asian Games.

“I have visited a few venues this morning and also had a meeting with the rest of the organising team regarding the state of preparations with 50 days to go,” said Mr Kalla, who is Chairman of the Steering Committee.

“All the preparations are on schedule and they are just finishing the plans for venues, transportation and security.”

The Vice President said he was looking forward to showing the new or refurbished venues to Asia and to the world.

“The venues are the second best in the world after Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games,” he insisted. “They are better than the London Olympics in 2012.”

The 18th Asian Games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, capital of South Sumatra province, from August 18 to September 2 with 40 sports, 67 disciplines and 463 events. The 45 National Olympic Committees affiliated to the Olympic Council of Asia are expected to send 10,000 athletes and 5,000 officials.

Asked if there had been any security concerns from some of the teams coming to Indonesia, the Vice President replied: “We are preparing to welcome 15,000 athletes and officials from around Asia, and the provisional entry is 21,000. This shows that they are really keen to come and are not worried about security because the number exceeds our expectations.”

The 21,000 is the second of three deadlines for entries, and this figure is expected to be reduced by 30-40 per cent after the final deadline – Entry by Name – of June 30.

Following the news on Thursday that North Korea and South Korea will form a unified team in three sports – women’s basketball, dragon boat racing and rowing – for the first time in Asian Games history, the Vice President was asked if North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had been invited to the opening ceremony.

“Ye it is true that they have been invited by our President. We are still negotiating if they want to come and nothing has been confirmed,” he added.

“We have to focus on organising the Asian Games and not on who is coming here. We need to be proud of hosting this big event.”

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