The 18th Asian Games in Indonesia that is completing its first week of competitions have the support of the nation’s Catholic bishops who regard the continent’s premier sporting event as an occasion to build peace among peoples. Dozens of Catholic lay volunteers are helping organize events, including a parishioner from St. Francis de Sales Church in Palembang, who is a member of the organizing team to stage the bowling competition.
As reported by ucanews.com, the Archbishop of Palembang, noting that the Asian Games are a multicultural event followed by people from different religious backgrounds remarked “Let’s make it a multi-cultural and multi-religious event. We hope it will carry a message of unity.”
The August 18 to September 2 pan-Asian multi-sport competition, that kicked off last Saturday in the Indonesian capital is being hosted in Jakarta and Palembang. 11 thousand athletes from 45 countries are competing in 40 different disciplines, including for the first time electronic sports and canoe polo.
