Sports Observer: World Beach Games Cancellation Just Right

The ambiguity of the position of the ANOC World Beach Games makes the cancellation of the four-year agenda felt as a natural thing.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

KOI and ANOC held a meeting of the contingent leaders for the 2nd ANOC World Beach Games 2023 in Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali, on Saturday (29/4/2023). In the meeting forum, KOI introduced the mascot of the ANOC World Beach Games 2023, which is a black fin shark.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The National Olympic Committee Association or ANOC has announced the cancellation of this year's World Beach Games agenda. The reason for cancellation is that Bali has withdrawn as the host due to the government's delayed disbursement of the budget. The cancellation of the World Beach Games is considered reasonable because some points indicate that the urgency of the existence of the quadrennial event is not yet clear.

The World Beach Games (WBG) were scheduled to be held in Bali on August 5-12, 2023. Therefore, the announcement of the cancellation of the event a month before its opening was like a thunderbolt in the daytime. The latest preparation for the WBG, the local organizing committee (LOC) had opened a volunteer recruitment program last month to assist the smooth running of the event which will be participated by 1,500 athletes from 130 countries.

Also read: ANOC Disappointed Committee Withdraws Commitment to Host the 2023 World Beach Games

Amidst the uncertainty regarding the reasons behind Bali's withdrawal as the host of the World Beach Games (WBG), some parties consider the cancellation as a reasonable step. This opinion was expressed by sports analyst Fritz Simanjuntak. According to Fritz, there are several points that make the cancellation of WBG reasonable, one of which is the participation of Israel. In addition, the position of WBG is also unclear.

The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) has not received sufficient sponsorship. It is unclear whether this is recreational or high-performance sports. Its position is gray.

"The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) has not received sufficient sponsors. It is still unclear whether this is for recreational or achievement sports. Its position is still ambiguous," said Fritz through a short message on Wednesday (5/7/2023)."

TANGKAPAN LAYAR LAMAN ANOCOLYMPIC.ORG

Official statement from ANOC regarding the cancellation of Bali World Beach Games 2023 due to the organizing committee withdrawing their commitment as the host. The event was originally scheduled for August 5-12, 2023.

Frits added that the realization of the WBG in Bali was increasingly complicated because the government had not prepared a special budget for this event. A number of sports that will be contested at the WBG Bali, among others, aquathlon, beach handball (beach handball), beach soccer, beach tennis, beach volleyball 4 x 4, beach water polo, beach wrestling, individual kata (karate), 5 kilometers open water swimming, outdoor badminton (water badminton), surfing, beach sprint rowing, and< i> wing foil racing.

The WBG is a newly held event. This event was designed by ANOC and has now entered its second edition. The first edition of this quadrennial event took place in Qatar in 2019.

Also read: Next Week, Preparations for the 2023 World Beach Games Enter a New Stage

The announcement of the cancellation of the WBG was conveyed by ANOC through its official website and social media accounts. In its statement, ANOC stated that the search for a replacement host for Bali was no longer possible as the event is scheduled to take place in one month. Therefore, with disappointment, ANOC has decided to cancel this year's edition of the WBG.

Not only the WBG, the agenda of the ANOC General Assembly which was planned to be held in Bali has also been canceled. The new location and date of the ANOC General Assembly will be announced later.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) held a meeting of the leaders of the 2nd ANOC World Beach Games 2023 contingent in Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali on Saturday (29/4/2023). In that meeting forum, KOI introduced the mascot of the ANOC World Beach Games 2023, which is a black-tip shark.

In its statement, ANOC touched on the issue of the WBG Bali budget that has yet to be released by the Indonesian Government.

KOl has stated that the decision (to withdraw as the host) was made after the government did not allocate the necessary budget and there was no more time left to organize the Olympics. ANOC is very disappointed with KOl's action which will prevent athletes from 100 NOCs who met the requirements from fulfilling their ambition to compete in this Olympics," according to ANOC's statement.

Also read: KOI Ensures Indonesia's Readiness to Hold the ANOC World Beach Games

ANOC has specifically conveyed its apologies to all National Olympic Committees, athletes, and International Federations (IF) who have been committed partners in the organization of the WBG.

The momentum of the cancellation by WBG has reopened bitter memories for the community where previously Indonesia was also cut off as the host of the U-20 World Cup. It is no wonder that Bali's withdrawal as the host further tarnishes Indonesia's image in the world of sports. The world's public trust in Indonesia to host major international events is increasingly at stake.