Beach volleyball competition a success<\/p>\n
Murdani Usman and Pariama Hutasoit, Contributors,
\nSeminyak, Bali<\/p>\n
Huge numbers of foreign and local tourists pour in to the
\nbeautiful Petitenget Beach near the famous Kuta holiday resort.
\nThey did not come to enjoy the sunset or sunrise but to watch the
\nfourth series of the Asian Beach Volleyball competition.<\/p>\n
The competition last weekend, the first ever held on the
\ntourist island of Bali, involved dozens of players from 10
\ncountries throughout Asia and the Pacific.<\/p>\n
As a country which has thousands of kilometers of pristine
\nbeaches, it's a pity it only has a few reputable beach volleyball
\nplayers who can compete internationally.<\/p>\n
Still unpopular among sports lovers, beach volleyball, which
\ndoes not cost much money to play -- unlike golf or even tennis --
\nmight someday become a sport of the people, like badminton or
\nsoccer.<\/p>\n
National Volleyball Association (PBVSI) chairwoman Rita
\nSoebowo expressed hope that in the future, Indonesian athletes
\ncould be recognized internationally.<\/p>\n
In the competition, Indonesia's first pair of Agus Salim and
\nKoko Prasetyo won gold in the men's category, defeating the
\nstrong Thai pairing of Thawip Thongkamnerd and Sataporn
\nSawangrueang during the final match on Sunday, Aug. 25.<\/p>\n
But in the women's category, the three Indonesian teams failed
\nto reach even the semifinals.<\/p>\n
Blair Harrison, technical delegate from the Asian Volley Ball
\nFederation, said Indonesia needed to work harder to improve
\nfacilities and technically up-grade its volleyballers if it
\nwanted to host international beach volleyball events.<\/p>\n
Bali, with numerous beautiful beach areas, will be a perfect
\nhost. Moreover, the are many more places across the country which
\ncan host beach volleyball competitions.<\/p>\n
"If we regularly hold international events, our teams would
\ngain a lot of benefits. More importantly, it could improve
\nIndonesia's image in the international sports community," said
\nWismoyo Arismundandar, chairman of the National Sports Committee
\n(KONI).<\/p>",
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