INDONESIA CHOOSE KOMODO DRAGON AS SEA GAMES MASCOT

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Host for the 26th SEA Games, Indonesia
has chosen the Komodo dragon as mascot for the 2011 Games which will be held
in Jakarta and Palembang from Nov 11 to 25.

The Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc), was qouted by Jakarta
Post as saying that a pair of Komodo dragons, a male (Modo) and a female (Modi),
were chosen in recognition of the Republic's conservation efforts to protect the
dwindling number of the rare lizard.

Modo and Modi were unveiled Monday night at a function in Jakarta, to mark
the 200-day countdown before the games open on Nov 11 in Palembang.

The Komodo dragons, the largest lizard in the world, only live on the
Indonesian islands of Komodo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

On Jan 15, Inasoc unveiled its logo, a Garuda eagle, to symbolize the power
and grandeur of Indonesia.

Indonesia dominated the Games between 1977, when it first competed, and
1997, failing to top the medal charts only twice in that period — in Bangkok in
1985 and in Chiang Mai in 1995, losing out to Thailand in both years.

However, Indonesia has not topped the medals chart since winning the Games
in 1997 in Jakarta.