In a year that has already seen a Winter Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and a World Cup, the 18th Asian Games could have snuck up on even the most dedicated of sports fans – but you better believe that the people of Jakarta were ready for their own party.
Co-hosted by the Indonesian capital and the city of Palembang in South Sumatra, the 2018 Asian Games saw more than 11,000 athletes from 45 nations competing in 40 different sports from 18 August to 2 September.
Throughout the games, Jakarta was awash with banners, flags and murals marking the occasion. From glittering office towers to humble cafes and nondescript street corners – and in one case, even the gateway to a cemetery – images of the three games mascots were everywhere you looked.
And the slogan “Energy of Asia” could be felt everywhere you went. We joined in the fun as Jakartans from all walks of life turned out in their thousands to embrace the games with beaming smiles, and watched as their enthusiasm was duly rewarded with Indonesia’s best-ever performance at an Asiad.
The Asian Games experience begins the moment you get off your plane
Athletes from China arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
A warm welcome
The mascots of the 2018 Asian Games – Atung the Bawean deer, Bhin Bhin the bird of paradise and Kaka the Javan rhinoceros
Waiting to ride the Jakarta airport train, which began operations in late December 2017
Traffic outside the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex
Asian Games murals were painted across the city
“Mascot in action”
A paragliding Bhin Bhin
Asian Games banners leading down a highway
Street vendors get sporty with their offerings
The Banteng Wulung (wild bull) at the Jakarta Stock Exchange gets some TLC
A break at noon
Today at the games
MRT coming soon
Getting a bird’s-eye view of Menteng
The Asian Games mascots basking in the sunlight at Pacific Place
Flags of nations competing in archery
A quiet corner outside the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
Friendly volunteers ready to point fans in the right direction
K-9 in control
Who’s a good dog?
Brisk business for stalls in the GBK complex
Free views of the archery action
Team Bhin Bhin
Students enjoying a day at the games
Smiles all round
Go Indonesia!
A young fan poses for photos outside the Asian Fest – even if you couldn’t get tickets to the sports venues, an Asian Fest ticket ensured that you got to experience the atmosphere of the games at the GBK complex
V for victory
A fun afternoon at National Monument Park
Cool boarders
The sun sets over the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium and the Asian Fest
Members of Indonesia’s taekwondo team at Hard Rock Cafe
The Asian Games Superstore, one of the most popular destinations at the GBK complex
“Ask me”
Fans stroll past the Superstore
Bung Karno looks out over the Sudirman Central Business District
Members of Nepal’s kabaddi team milling around outside Theater Garuda
See you in four years!
An India fan after witnessing the end of a disappointing campaign for the country’s kabaddi teams
Fans disperse on their way out of the GBK complex
The Gelora Bung Karno Stadium lights up for the first day of athletics
Looking out as crowds build around the main stadium
Fans of Jonatan Christie live every point as he wins his round of 16 tie – he would go on to claim the men’s singles gold
Family time at the games
“Come on!”
“Argghhh!”
The flame burns on
The Asian Games cauldron against the backdrop of an almost-full moon
The 2018 Asian Para Games follows from 6 to 13 October
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![[Content warning – this profile piece discusses the subject of suicide that may be sensitive and potentially triggering. Reader discretion is advised. Information about seeking help is available at the end of the carousel post. Stay safe]
“My brother died 8 years ago. I was at home when I found out. It was a Friday night, and I was on a long-distance call with my partner who was in Europe at the time. At 1am, I got up from bed to go to the toilet. That’s when I saw my mum crying alone in the living room.
My mum isn’t a particularly emotional person. I’ve probably seen her cry three times my whole life. I was worried and concerned, of course, and asked what’s going on. She turned to me and said, ‘I have bad news. Joel died.’
When a sibling dies unexpectedly, it takes time for you to process the news. And then you realise that your family will never be the same again. You will never be full or complete anymore. There is only brokenness. And that was the first emotion that hit me really hard.
The next morning, we got more details, and I learnt that he killed himself. When someone commits suicide, family is required to identify the body at the mortuary. My mum said, ‘Look, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’ And I’m thinking, how can I let you do this alone?!
Even though I could sense a heaviness in the air around her, my mother looked relatively composed. But when they wheeled in the body, she simply broke. She kept saying that it’s not him. It’s not him. It doesn’t look like him. I had never seen that side of her before.
My mother was always put together, but at that moment, she sounded like a young mother who had just lost her newborn baby. It was less heartbreaking that I lost my brother, and more painful that I had to see her that way.
When my brother was 12, he moved out of the house and lived with my grandmother. I never knew why. Maybe it’s because we weren’t well-to-do. Maybe it’s because our parents didn’t have the best of relationships. I was his younger sister, but I didn’t know much about him.
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