Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex#Sports venues

After the Asian Games Federation declared Jakarta to host the 1962 Asian Games in 1958, the minimum requirement that was yet to be met by Jakarta was the availability of a multi-sport complex. In response to this, President Sukarno issued Presidential Decree No. 113/1959 dated 11 May 1959 about the establishment of the Asian Games Council of Indonesia (DAGI) led by Minister of Sports Maladi. Sukarno, as an architect and civil engineering graduate, proposed a location near M. H. Thamrin Boulevard and Menteng, namely the area of Karet, Pejompongan, or Dukuh Atas. Friedrich Silaban, a renowned architect who accompanied Sukarno to review the location by helicopter, disagreed with the selection of Dukuh Atas because he argued the construction of a sports complex in the center of the future downtown area will potentially create massive traffic congestion. Sukarno agreed and instead assigned the Senayan area with an area of approximately 300 hectares.{{Cite web|url=http://historia.id/olahraga/sukarno-dan-gbk|title=Sukarno dan GBK|website=historia.id|date=17 March 2015 |language=id|access-date=2018-01-21}}

The first pole erection was done symbolically by Sukarno and Soviet First Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan on 8 February 1960.{{Cite news |url=https://finance.detik.com/berita-ekonomi-bisnis/d-4018123/menteri-ppn-saat-tuan-rumah-asian-games-1962-ri-negara-miskin |title=Menteri PPN: Saat Tuan Rumah Asian Games 1962, RI Negara Miskin |first=Achmad Dwi |last=Afriyadi |work=detikcom |date=13 May 2018 |accessdate=13 May 2018 |archive-date=2022-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929165507/https://finance.detik.com/berita-ekonomi-bisnis/d-4018123/menteri-ppn-saat-tuan-rumah-asian-games-1962-ri-negara-miskin |url-status=live }} Construction of Istora was completed in May 1961. The secondary stadium, Swimming Stadium, and Tennis Stadium followed in December 1961. The main stadium was completed on 21 July 1962, a month before the games.{{Cite book|title=Dari Gelora Bung Karno ke Gelora Bung Karno|last=Pour|first=Julius|publisher=Grasindo|year=2004}}

File:Weekend-kedua-masa-transisi-psbb-di-gbk 169.jpg]]

The sports complex hosts a main stadium with a capacity of 77,193 seats, athletic stadium, football fields, aquatic stadium, tennis stadiums (indoor and outdoor), hockey, baseball and archery fields, and several indoor gymnasiums.[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20070721mm.html Schwarzer gives kind assessment of Kawaguchi | The Japan Times Online] Built over 279 hectares of land, it is the largest sports complex in Indonesia.{{Cite news|url=https://jakartaglobe.id/news/overall-jakarta-fiba-world-cup-attendance-reaches-111000|title=Overall Jakarta FIBA World Cup Attendance Reaches 111,000|newspaper=Jakarta Globe|access-date=2023-03-09}} The Gelora Bung Karno Stadium is the main building within this sports complex. The abbreviation Gelora also means "vigorous" (like the flame or ocean wave) in the Indonesian language. Other than hosting several sports facilities, the sports complex is also a popular place for people of Jakarta to do physical exercises; jogging, bicycling, aerobics, and calisthenics, especially during the weekend.

On 29 April 2025, the Indonesian sovereign wealth fund agency, Danantara, planned to take over the management of the GBK complex from the current manager, Ministry of State Secretariat. Danantara CEO Rosan Roeslani stated that the complex has a well prospect as "one of the largest state assets, but still limited in utilization and return on investment."{{Cite news |date=2025-04-29 |title=Rosan Ungkap Alasan Kawasan GBK Sekarang Dikelola Danantara |url=https://www.cnnindonesia.com/ekonomi/20250429120226-92-1223825/rosan-ungkap-alasan-kawasan-gbk-sekarang-dikelola-danantara |access-date=2025-04-29 |work=CNN Indonesia |language=id}}

File:Asian Games 2018 Senayan GBK Map (cropped).jpg

For the first time, the sports complex was host fourth Asian Games in 1962. The main stadium hosted the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Other competitions held there were several AFF Championship finals and domestic cup finals. The Istora hosted numbers of BWF World Championships, Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup and Uber Cup badminton competitions. The tennis stadium hosted most of Indonesia's home matches at the Davis Cup and Fed Cup.

The sports complex hosted multi-event sport such as Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON, National Sports Week) and Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). The complex hosted the PON seven times between 1973 and 1996. The complex hosted the SEA Games in 1979, 1987, 1997 and 2011; the latter was co-hosted with Jakabaring Sport City complex in Palembang. It also hosted 2018 Asian Games along with Palembang's complex and some other venues across Palembang, Banten, Greater Jakarta and West Java, while it served only with other venues across Greater Jakarta and West Java during the subsequent Para Games.

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was held at a new 17,150 seater arena within the sports complex known as Indonesia Arena; Indonesia was the co-host along with Japan and the Philippines.

File:GBK Main Stadium during Athletics APG2018 (2).jpg

File:Istora_AG18_(1).jpg]]

File:GBK Aquatic Stadium AG18.jpg

File:GBK Softball Stadium from FX.png]]

File:Indonesia Arena exterior 3 September 2023.jpg]]

File:GBK Madya and Tennis Stadiums.jpg

File:GBK cauldron lit.jpg cauldron in the southeast of the complex]]

• Jakarta Convention Center (completed 1974)
• Al Bina mosque (completed 2001)
• Jakarta Sultan Hotel (formerly Hilton Hotel Jakarta, completed 1971)
• Mulia Hotel (completed 1994)
• Krida Loka Park (completed 1987)
• GBK Park (completed in 2019, stands on what was the Senayan Golf Course & Driving Range)

Initially, the sports complex covers a much larger area than it is today. During the 1980s to 1990s, several land plots were developed into non-sport facilities. The northern area was developed into government offices while the southern area was developed into hotels and shopping malls. The complex also had a radio-controlled car circuit northwest of the main stadium, which was scrapped during the 2017 renovation.

• DPR/MPR (Parliament) Building (completed 1968)
• TVRI Studios and National Headquarters Building (completed 1962)
• Ministry of Youth and Sports Building (completed 1983)
• National Forestry Museum (Manggala Wanabakti, formerly Ministry of Forestry office, completed 1983)
• Senayan Park (completed 2020, stands on the former site of Taman Ria Senayan)

The southern area was originally an athlete village for the 1962 Asian Games. The village was demolished in the 1970s. Several buildings now stood in their location.

• Century Park Hotel (completed 1990)
• Ratu Plaza (completed 1982)
• Plaza Senayan (completed 1996)
• Senayan Trade Center (completed 2006)
• Senayan City (completed 2006)
• fX Sudirman (completed 2008)
• Fairmont Jakarta Hotel (completed 2015)
• Multipurpose Building{{cite web|url=https://gbk.id/gedung-serbaguna/|title=Gedung Serbaguna|access-date=6 November 2018|language=id|website=GBK.id|publisher=Gelora Bung Karno Complex Management Center }} (completed 1987)

• Remote controlled-car racing circuit
• Asia Afrika Sports Hall
• Volleyball Arena that was used during the 1962 Asian Games
• 18 tennis courts located southern of the tennis stadiums.
• Roller sports court
• Gymnastics Building
• Cemaratiga Softball Field
• Senayan Golf Range
• Street Dirt Senayan

File:Gbk persija arema 20190803.jpg|The main stadium during a Liga 1 match.

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Citation | last = Pour | first = Julius | title = Dari Gelora Bung Karno ke Gelora Bung Karno | publisher = Grasindo | place = Jakarta | year = 2004 | language = id | isbn = 978-979-732-444-5 | postscript = .}}

{{Commons category-inline|Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex}}

• {{Official website|http://gbk.id/}} {{in lang|id}}

{{Jakarta topics|state=expanded}}

Category:Sports venues in Jakarta

Category:Venues of the 2018 Asian Games

Category:Sports venues completed in 1962

Category:Post-independence architecture of Indonesia

Category:Sports complexes in Indonesia

Category:Swimming venues in Jakarta

Category:Baseball venues in Asia

Category:Rugby union stadiums in Indonesia

Category:Asian Games water polo venues

Category:Central Jakarta

Category:Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex