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Zohri’s Reward

Eighteen-year-old Indonesian athlete Lalu Muhammad Zohri grabbed the media spotlight after he outran South African

Thembo Monareng, Briton Dominic Ashwell and Americans Anthony Schwartz and Eric Harrison in the 100-meter

sprint at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, on July 11. Zohri finished the race in a

magnificent 10.18 seconds, exceeding his Indonesian national record of 10.25 seconds. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo

has rewarded the champion sprinter with a home renovation. “For Zohri’s achievement, I have ordered the Ministry of

Public Works and Housing to renovate his house in Lombok [West Nusa Tenggara],” Jokowi said the day after Zohri’s

win. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who is proud of him; all Indonesians are.”

Traffic congestion in Jakarta consistently

ranks among the world’s worst, and the

sprawling Indonesian capital has long

struggled to improve air quality, regularly

rated by the World Health Organization

as unsafe. Organizers of the 2018 Asian

Games, scheduled to take place in Jakarta

and Palembang, South Sumatra, between

Aug. 18 and Sept. 2, said they are working

with city officials to tackle the problem.

“It is expected that there will be better

air quality at Asian Games competition

venues,” the organizers said. Strategies

being considered include wider curbs on

the use of private vehicles, special lanes for

those attending the sports event. Indonesia

is following the example of other large Asian

cities, such as Beijing, which imposed traffic

curbs and closed factories to improve air

quality during the 2008 Olympics.

EnvironmEnt

PrEParation