Indonesians climb greasy tree trunks for Independence Day games

Participants struggle to reach the prizes during a greased-pole climbing competition held as a part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta on Aug 17, 2022. - AP

JAKARTA (Reuters): Teams of Indonesians clambered over each other on Wednesday (Aug 17) to reach prizes hanging from the top of slippery tree trunks in an annual competition held to celebrate the country's Independence Day.

At an amusement park in the capital Jakarta, 45 palm tree trunks coated in oil were set up for the games, one of many such competitions taking place across the sprawling archipelago of 270 million people.