Following the dramatic ousting of Bali and the rest of Indonesia from hosting the U-20 World Cup 2023, Bali has taken another devastating blow to its aspirations to become an international sports event destination.
Less than a month before The World Beach Games’ start, organized by the Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC), Bali has suddenly withdrawn its commitment to Host the 2023 games and welcome more than 100 athletes from 69 countries to the Island.
The official ANOC Website posted on the evening of 04 July 2023 that “with great surprise and extreme disappointment, the ANOC has learned that the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) has withdrawn from its commitment to host the ANOC World Beach Games and the ANOC General Assembly in August 2023.”
One month out, when final preparations for the games should be in the finalization stage, the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) said its decision to withdraw from hosting the Beach Games was done when the Government of Indonesia failed to release the promised budget needed to operate the games.
“. . .with great surprise and extreme disappointment, the ANOC has learned that the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) has withdrawn from its commitment to host the ANOC World Beach Games and the ANOC General Assembly in August 2023.”
OFFICIAL World Beach Game WEBSITE
The last-minute failure by Bali and Indonesia to fulfill its hosting obligations prompted the ANOC to say it was “very disappointed by the KOI’s decision” that followed regular assurances from Indonesia that the Beach games would go ahead as planned.
Indonesia has, “as recently as last week,” assured the ANOC that the games would go ahead as planned. The late announcement has now made it impossible for the World Beach Games to take place in August 2023, given the insurmountable problems of identifying a new host country and completing the many logistical requirements for the games in such a short time.
Kompas.com reports that Bali lost the beach games due to the failure of the Indonesian Government to meet its budget commitments in support of the games. The World Beach Games in Bali were initially scheduled from 05 until 12 August 2023.
The International Olympic Committee (ANOC), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, has commenced seeking a new location and suitable dates for the next World Beach Games.
It is presumed that the World Beach Games must be rescheduled on a new date beyond 2023 when a suitable host is found. But, for now, the ANOC says the “immediate priority is to ensure the athletes are supported, and the NOCs and IFs are compensated as best as possible in light of the Games cancellation.”
The first World Beach Games were held in Doha, Qatar, in 2019. Intended to become a quadrennial event on the international sporting calendar, Indonesia entered the competitive bidding process winning the right to host the games in Bali in 2023, only to fail to fulfill its contractual commitment one month before the game’s scheduled start.
The latest developments surrounding the World Beach Games have called into doubt Indonesia’s ability to host international sporting events. President Joko Widodo declared, as late as November 2022, Indonesia’s desire to host the 2036 Summer Olympics in Nusantara, the new capital of Indonesia.
Indonesia’s cancellation of the U20 World Cup 2023 and World Beach Games 2023 may have left the Republic’s international sporting events hosting aspirations in shreds. Indonesia’s plans to host the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia from 10 November until 02 December 2023 are also now under scrutiny.
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