Special Report: 2008 Olympic Games

    JAKARTA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Olympics has really memorable, historical, impressive for Indonesian athletes. "I was impressed by Chinese audience's supportive spirit given not only for Chinese athletes but foreign athletes also, " Indonesian medal-earning weightlifter Eko Yuli Irawan told Xinhua on Tuesday.

    Eko who was successful in earning the first medal for his country found a different atmosphere in Beijing. When he was on the stage, ready for his lifting, the audience always gave applause before and after. "Although I am not a host athlete, but audience always gave applause to all foreign athletes, including me. They are much fairer than what I have imagined before," he said.

    The last event he attended before the Olympics was world championship in Kanazawa Japan in March 2008. He captured a silver medal in a category of 62 kgs.

    "The audience in Japan kept shouting, made big noise. It was a bit disturbing although I finally won the second position," he said. Besides that, he also admired the best facilities given by the Olympics Committee particularly the village for athletes and sport hall. "It is more than enough, I mean how everything had been well prepared for the competition," he said.

    After returning from Beijing, Eko still has to concentrate on the coming event in Romania, namely World Junior Weightlifting Championship in June 2009. For the whole week, he and his athletes mate Triyatno made several visits to the head of Indonesian weightlifting association, retired senior Indonesian weightlifters, and government officials of the provincial area he used to be, namely Lampung Sumatera Island.

    "Tomorrow, all Indonesian athletes will be awarded officially by the Government of Indonesia," he said.