Asian Games 2018: Senayan GBK Complex Map

This photograph of a visitor information board shows the layout of the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, central Jakarta, during the 2018 Asian Games. The board uses a colour-coded plan to show the venues and visitor areas.

The Games ran from 18 August to 2 September 2018, and were co-hosted by Jakarta and Palembang. About 45 countries and territories took part.

A complex built for an earlier Games

The Gelora Bung Karno complex was originally constructed for the 1962 Asian Games, with support from the Soviet Union, and named after Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, known as Bung Karno. The main stadium holds around 77,000 spectators after a renovation for 2018. Around it are venues for swimming, tennis, basketball, hockey and other sports.

The 2018 opening ceremony took place in the main stadium on 18 August 2018. Visitors moved between venues along pedestrian routes, which is why information boards like the one shown were placed at entrances.

Why event maps matter

Large sporting events need maps of the site, entrances, security checkpoints and transport links. The board is a good example of wayfinding design: it uses colour coding and a simplified plan rather than street-level detail, so visitors can make quick decisions about where to go.

About the Asian Games

The Asian Games are a multi-sport event held every four years under the Olympic Council of Asia. The first took place in New Delhi in 1951. Jakarta hosted in 1962 and again in 2018, which makes the Gelora Bung Karno complex unusual: it served two Games more than half a century apart. The 2018 programme included more than 400 events in 40 sports, and China topped the medal table.

Key facts

Questions about this map

Where is Senayan?

In central Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

What does GBK stand for?

Gelora Bung Karno, named after Indonesia's first president.

Who made the photograph?

It is credited on Wikimedia Commons; see the credit line under the image.