Bali described as dream venue for World Beach Games

Bali, Indonesia opened its arms to the world of beach sports last week as technical delegates representing the 14 sports on the 2023 World Beach Games sports program visited the idyllic Indonesian resort.

The trip was all business for technical delegates, who toured proposed venue locations and learned about the Games concept.

Local organizers outlined their commitment to staging an accessible and environmentally friendly event, with measures ranging from the minimization of carbon-based transport, to a reduction of single-use plastics.

The proposed venues were split across multiple clusters near places of interest around the region. Local organizers expressed their desire to house athletes and officials within walking distance of the competition venues.

Beach Soccer Worldwide technical delegate Josep Ponset stated, “I think I can speak on behalf of all TDs when I say to be here is a dream.”

“This first meeting has been really great,” said Ponset, adding, “we are working hard for every sport to achieve what we are looking for to make the Games a success.”

Another sport eager to be in Bali was badminton. Air Badminton technical delegate Ian Wright declared, “it is a great opportunity for badminton to be here. We are really excited by the concept.”

“For badminton there cannot be a better place to debut than in Indonesia which is one of our strongest nations,” noted Wright, adding, “Bali will be an amazing location.”

Technical delegates were given the opportunity to meet one-on-one with officials from the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Indonesian Olympic Committee.

Discussions regarding scheduling, Games services, equipment, suppliers and broadcasting were also held during the visit.

ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg commented, “this has been a very productive visit and working closely with the Organising Committee and Technical Delegates we have made good progress in identifying the best locations for our 14 exciting and dynamic Games disciplines.”

She continued, “the TDs have spoken very positively about their experience here in Bali and have provided important feedback to ensure we can deliver their support to the very highest standards. We have no doubt the Games will be a great success and we are grateful to NOC Indonesia and the Bali government for their excellent work.”

The 2023 ANOC World Beach Games are due to open on August 5, 2023. Over 1,500 athletes are expected to descend on the resort for competition across 14 sports.

The second edition of the global beach sport celebration will come to a close on August 12, 2023.