Will Indonesia’s desire to host the 2036 Olympics go up in flames over economics, geopolitics?

During the visit, the pair met International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach to reaffirm Indonesia’s ambition to host the games.

Widodo’s vision for the US$32 billion new capital involves transforming 2,560 sq km of land in East Kalimantan into a functional green smart city. While it might appear to be a perfect setting for the Olympics, experts say Nusantara appears far from ready to host a large-scale event.

Progress on the Nusantara project has been sluggish, and analysts have expressed concerns that Prabowo’s incoming administration may shift focus away from continuing Widodo’s flagship initiative in favour of prioritising the new leader’s own campaign commitments instead.

Indonesia’s latest Olympic bid could be a “public relations move” to reassure investors of its commitment to developing Nusantara, according to Yohanes Sulaiman, a political analyst at the University of Jenderal Achmad Yani in West Java.

“I’m far more inclined to think this is just what the government is saying to make people think we are going to move to the new capital soon,” Yohanes said.

“But there is already a low probability that we would get chosen because the place is simply unprepared,” he added.

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Indonesia has hosted many international sporting events in recent years, including last year’s Fifa Men’s Under-17 World Cup and the Fiba Men’s Basketball World Cup in Jakarta.

Minister Erick, who also chairs the Soccer Association of Indonesia, led the organising committee for the Asian Games.

“[Erick] has an eagerness to make Indonesia more active in the global arena through sports,” said Ahmad Rizky Umar, a lecturer at the School of Political Science and International