Southeast Asian Games threatened by Indonesia's lack of funds

Southeast Asian Games threatened by Indonesia's lack of funds

2011-09-09 08:12:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are being threatened just two months before their inauguration as Indonesia's budget cuts and lack of funds are impeding the games' preparations, local media reported on Friday.

Rita Subowo, chairwoman of Inasoc, the SEA Games organizing committee, told Indonesia's House of Representatives Commission X, which oversees education and sports affairs, that if the government did not provide the necessary funds by September 15, Inasoc would quit as the organizing committee, the Jakarta Globe reported.

"We might as well just forget the event if the government's money does not materialize," Subowo told the media outlet. "We have to start the accreditation process for athletes and officials, but the IT system is not ready yet because we don't have [the budget]."

Subowo noted that there are more than 10,000 entries and it was impossible to do it manually, underlining that the broadcasting system should have been ready six months ago.

In addition, Inasoco also requires funds to adequately organize accommodations and down payments for the games' transportation, which needs to be paid before September 30. "This is not a threat," Subowo said, "but reality."

In late 2008, Indonesia was chosen to host the upcoming SEA Games. Inasoc had proposed a Rp 3 trillion ($351 million) budget, but the organizing committee has only received about a third of the approved budget after the government agreed to add another Rp 700 billion ($81.9 million) to the initial budget. Organizers have blamed Indonesia's bureaucratic hassles for stalling the release of funds.

Inasoc has already received five corporate sponsors, but their funds were deposited into a government account, and the Financial Ministry has not yet approved the release of the funds. Organizers and Inasoc officials have constantly urged the government to disburse the funds, but no action has been taken yet.

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