VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Thousands of elementary school students in Yogyakarta enthusiastically witnessed the Asian Games torch relay on Thursday July 19.

"I am happy to be asked to welcome the Asian Games torch," Raihan, 11, a student of Jetis elementary school, stated while lining up a road covered during the torch relay.

The torch relay in Yogyakarta started from the Yogyakarta Palace, with Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, as the first bearer of the torch, who ran for 100 meters until the Yogyakarta Monument where it was handed over by Yogyakarta Mayor Haryadi Suyuti to an official of the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (Inasgoc) that would later take the torch to Solo.

The torch relay will tour 53 cities in 18 provinces, covering a total distance of some 18 thousand kilometers across Indonesia.

On Tuesday (July 17), the torch arrived in Yogyakarta from New Delhi, with the flame generated from a parabolic mirror directed straight at the sun in India, where the Asian Games flame was lit for the first time during the inaugural edition in 1951.

On Wednesday evening, the flame from India was merged with the eternal flame from Mrapen at the Pramanan Temple.

After the merging of the two flames, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla handed over the torch to badminton player Finarshi at the complex of Prambanan temple.

The relay is expected to end on Aug 17 when the torch arrives at the Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta.

During the Asian Games torch relay event held at the Prambanan temple, on Wednesday evening, Vice President Kalla had stated that Indonesia was honored to be the host of the 18th Asian Games.

"After over 50 years, Indonesia now has another opportunity to host the Asian Games. This is an honor for the Indonesian nation," Kalla remarked.

Indonesia had hosted the Asian Games for the first time in 1962.

Indonesia has also been considered to be able to organize international sporting events and provide the necessary infrastructure facilities, he stated.

Kalla expressed hope that Indonesian athletes competing in the Asian Games 2018 would deliver better results.

"Organizational capability, infrastructure development, and achievements, God Willing, are the three crucial aspects," he added. (ANTARA)