Hanoi was chosen to host the 18th Asian Games in November 2012 ahead of Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city which is located on East Java.

But last month the Vietnamese capital withdrew its hosting rights due to economic pressures and Indonesia, which has staged the Games only once before in Jakarta in 1962, emerged as the front-runner to be named as replacement. 

Following caution from figures including Rita Subowo, chair of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI), who said the country may not have the resources to host the Games, willingness to step in has been confirmed by Youth and Sport Minister Roy Suryo.

"The team of the OCA will visit Indonesia on May 5 and see if we are ready, and we will express our readiness to host the Games," he said, adding Indonesia had first been invited to launch a bid by the OCA.

With few rival candidates to emerge it appears very likely that the Games will end up being held in Indonesia.

But, although it was Surabaya which initially bid for the Games, it is not guaranteed that, if Indonesia is chosen, the event will take place there, with Suryo citing Bandung of West Java and Palembang of South Sumatra as potential locations.

This is because the two cities also boast great sports facilities and have staged big sports events in recent years.

Despite the success of the 2013 SEA Games in Naypyidaw in December, the Asian Games is seen as a step too far for Myanmar ©AFP/Getty Images




Among other places linked with the Games has been Myanmar, host of the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

But, despite having ambitions of becoming a major player in the continent's sporting landscape, officials there have admitted that the scale of the worlds second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympics is currently a step too far. 

This was something accepted by the joint secretary general of the Myanmar Olympic Committee Khin Maung Lwin, who said "while we have enough facilities and infrastructure, we have shortcomings in expertise and manpower to organise such a big Games and it is quite a heavy task".

"The SEA Games has 11 countries, but the Asian Games has 45 countries, and it is too early for us to host the 2019 Asian Games," he added.

United Arab Emirates, China and Japan are others to have been cited as possible hosts, while Thailand and Malaysia have confirmed they are not interested.

The Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung is also evaluating the possibility of organising the Games.

A final decision is due to taken on September 20 during this year's Asian Games in Incheon.

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