TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Gelora Bung Karno main stadium (SUGBK) has finally completed its major renovation in time to host a football match between the Indonesian national team against Iceland on Sunday, January 14.

“The progress is 100 percent. The stadium can already be used for tomorrow’s game without any considerable obstacles,” said the contractor’s (Adhi Karya) production manager Chabbib Wawan on Wednesday, January 10.

The stadium’s renovation commenced in July 2017. It has undergone several significant changes in its facility and architecture. GBK has now installed 76,127 single seats that replace its previous connected series of chairs.

Despite reducing the stadium’s overall capacity, Wawan guarantees that the current condition will provide more convenience for visitors compared to the old design. “We have also built an evacuation route and a special route for the disabled. Both of those elements have reduced the stadiums capacity quite significantly. But this complies with the standards,” he said.

Gelora Bung Karno is also equipped with 172 restrooms that are spread across all parts of the stadium. There are also four Muslim prayer rooms (Musholla) on the four corners of the compass.

The stadium is currently lit by 620 LEDs that are installed surrounding the stadium. This is a huge improvement compared to the previous lighting setup that only had 200 lights.

“The brightness can reach 3,500 lumens,” said Wawan. The football field has also been upgraded to FIFA standards.

President Joko Widodo or Jokowi is scheduled to inaugurate the Gelora Bung Karno main stadium on January 14, 2018, which is the same day where Indonesia will match against Iceland’s national football team.

EGI ADYATAMA