17th Official Asian Games Fun Run in Indonesia 19-06-2005

Over five hundred children sprinted to the finish line at Jakarta National Monument Park on Sunday 19th June as part of the Official Asian Games Fun Run which celebrated sport in Asia and highlighted the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006.

The event was organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Indonesian Olympic Committee (KONI).  Children from 10 different schools in Jakarta, aged between 13 – 16 years, were invited to take part in the fun run.  Special guests such as a group of professional athletes who are most likely to represent Indonesia in the 15th Asian Games also took part in the fun run.

The fun run started at 7am but before the start all the participants took part in a warm up together to get them ready for the run which started at the National Monument Park and took the 500 runners along the famous Jalan M.H. Thamrin street and then back into the National Monument Park to the finish line.

Each entrant that took part was rewarded with a certificate of achievement and a limited edition 15th Asian Games sports bag, waist bag, t-shirt and cap from the OCA.  

The event attracted quite a crowd of spectators who happened to be enjoying the early Sunday morning in the park, they also stayed for the singing and dancing that took place after the run.  Students took to the stage to sing a few songs and there was even a singing performance by Mr Agum Gumlar, President of KONI.

The fun run attracted wide-spread press attention on the actual day of the event as well as in the lead up to it following a press conference which was held two days before.  Local TV stations TVRI and ANTV and daily newspapers Kompas, Rakyat Merdeka and Media Indonesia all covered the event.