Istora Gelora Bung Karno

Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace (

It was also used during the 1962 Asian Games and was renovated to host the 2018 edition. Its first post-renovation event was the 2018 Indonesia Masters. During the latter Games, it hosted the badminton and later stages of basketball events.

The arena originally was planned to stage the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and becoming the only Indonesian venue in the three-country joint bid but was moved to a newly-built arena inside the complex. It hosted the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup instead.

Development

As an architect and civil engineering graduate, Sukarno proposed a sports center location near M. H. Thamrin Boulevard and Menteng (Karet, Pejompongan, or Dukuh Atas) for the 1962 Asian Games. Then he was accompanied by Friedrich Silaban to review the location of the proposed sports complex by helicopter. Silaban disagreed with the selection of Dukuh Atas because he argued the construction of a sports complex in the center the future downtown area will potentially create a massive traffic congestion. Sukarno agreed Silaban recommendation and instead assigned the project to the Senayan area with an area of approximately 300 hectares.^[4][5]

The sports complex construction began on 8 February 1960, Istora construction finished on 21 May 1961, in time to host the 1961 Thomas Cup that held in June of that year.

During the New Order era, due to the de-Sukarnoization policy by military junta government under Suharto, the complex was renamed to Gelora Senayan Sports Complex and the Istora was also renamed to Istora Senayan in 1969.^[6] However, since January 17, 2001, Indonesian president at the time Abdurrahman Wahid reverted the sports complex name to Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, including the Istora.^[7]

Istora had a U-shaped indoor lobby attached on its front since some time after the 1960s to 2016. The court and tribune were surrounded by multi-functional rooms.^[8] Those were demolished during the subsequent renovation.^[9] The rooms are incorporated underneath the tribune, leaving no other buildings attached to it.

During the latest renovation, there were already some delft blue single seats installed on the mid-section of west and east tribune along with yellow (4 corners) and green (mid-section of north and south tribune) wooden bleachers. Those were scrapped and replaced by single seats, consist of 3 shades of grey. However, to preserve the memory of the old Istora, there are five rows of seat using new all-brown wooden bleachers, placed near Gate 1.

Notable concerts

Notable international sporting events

• 1961, 1967, 1973, and 1979 Thomas Cups
• 1962 and 2018 Asian Games
• 1975 Uber Cup
• 1980 and 1989 IBF World Championships
• 1986, 1994, 2004, and 2008 Thomas & Uber Cups
• 1989 Sudirman Cup
• 1992 IBF World Junior Championships
• 2015 BWF World Championships
• 2015 World Wushu Championships
• 2018 Asian Para Games
• 2022 FIBA Asia Cup

Gallery

• 
  General Nasution, chair of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS) congratulating General Suharto on his inauguration as Acting President on 12 March 1967 at the Istora.
• 
  Istora in January 2008
• 
  The front lobby of Istora; it was demolished during 2016–18 renovation
• 
  Istora in March 2016
• 
  Interior of Istora during the 2018 Indonesia Masters
• 
  Istora's new wooden bleachers

See also

• Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex
• Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
• Indonesia Arena

References

External links

Media related to Istora Gelora Bung Karno at Wikimedia Commons

• Profile on GBK Sports Complex official website Archived 2018-08-16 at the Wayback Machine