TEMPO.CO, Incheon - The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has approved Indonesia as the host for the 18th Asian Games in 2018. Indonesia replaces previously chosen Vietnam that withdrew due to the funding reasons.

"Today it has been approved by the EB (executive board) that 2018 will be the next Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia," said council president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, as quoted by BBC. The body's general assembly should rubber stamp the decision today. But Sheikh Amad stressed that an earlier special assembly had given him "the authority to decide and find the replacement to Vietnam."

Ade Lukman, an Indonesian Olympic Committee official, said the country was delighted. "Being selected to host the Asian Games is an honor for the Indonesian people," he told AFP.

The OCA initially scheduled the Asian Games to be held in 2019 to avoid any clash with the Olympics. The 2018 Winter Olympics will take place in South Korea and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

But Jakarta told the OCA that if they were to host the Asian Games, it would have to be a year earlier, in 2018, because presidential elections are scheduled for 2019.

The Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI), Rita Subowo said Indonesia was determined to host the event in an atmosphere that is free from corruption and dopes. Rita also denied the accusations of Indonesia being too ambitious to host the game amid the country’s limitations.

"That’s not true," said Rita. "It’s not about [being] ambitious or not. But we are ready to host [the game] and we have been visited by OCA team twice."

ANTARA | BBC