Indonesians Pay Tribute to Victims of Stadium Crush One Year On

Protesters react before a memorial service on the first anniversary of the October 2022 stampede that killed 135 people in one of football's worst tragedies at the Kanjuruhan football stadium in Malang, East Java, on October 1, 2023. (AFP)
Protesters react before a memorial service on the first anniversary of the October 2022 stampede that killed 135 people in one of football's worst tragedies at the Kanjuruhan football stadium in Malang, East Java, on October 1, 2023. (AFP)
TT

Indonesians Pay Tribute to Victims of Stadium Crush One Year On

Protesters react before a memorial service on the first anniversary of the October 2022 stampede that killed 135 people in one of football's worst tragedies at the Kanjuruhan football stadium in Malang, East Java, on October 1, 2023. (AFP)
Protesters react before a memorial service on the first anniversary of the October 2022 stampede that killed 135 people in one of football's worst tragedies at the Kanjuruhan football stadium in Malang, East Java, on October 1, 2023. (AFP)

Hundreds of Indonesians paid emotional tributes Sunday to the victims of a football stadium crush a year ago that killed 135 people in one of the world's worst sports disasters.

Grieving relatives, survivors and fans gathered for a mass prayer at the Kanjuruhan stadium in the East Javan city of Malang, where the fatal stampede unfolded at the end of a match between Arema FC and fierce rivals Persebaya Surabaya.

Police fired tear gas into packed stands when home supporters invaded the pitch, sparking a rush to the stadium's small exits, some of which were closed. Forty-three children were among the dead and hundreds more people were injured in the crush.

Some relatives of the victims broke down in tears on Sunday and others fainted as they prayed at the makeshift memorial at the stadium's Gate 13, where many of the victims died.

"I felt very painful, but we all prayed together... Hopefully all of the dead spirits are in heaven," Misiati, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.

Her 20-year-old son Fillah Aziz Firmansyah was among those killed.

"Please investigate thoroughly. Don't play with the laws," she said.

Some relatives are still seeking justice, claiming prison sentences of between one and two-and-a-half years handed to three police officers and two civilians for negligence causing death were too lenient.

FIFA, football's world governing body, bans the use of tear gas in stadiums.

Wahyu Jarwati, 51, whose child's friend was also one of the victims, prayed and expressed sadness that so many children were killed.

"Everyone was innocent as they only wanted to watch their team. But in reality, they went home only in their name," she said.

President Joko Widodo ordered a nationwide stadium audit after the tragedy and pledged to demolish and rebuild Kanjuruhan, but it remains standing.

Several victims' relatives read a statement before the prayer service, listing demands including a fair trial for those responsible and calling on Widodo to suspend the stadium's planned renovation so a reconstruction of events could take place.

They also demanded Indonesia's football association declare October 1 a national day of mourning.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
TT

‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.