Bali hosts successful world VB tournament
Bali hosts successful world VB tournament
Murdani Usman, Contributor, Denpasar
Ignoring extreme heat as well as tight security, female beach
volleyball athletes from around the world gathered at Petitenget
beach, Kerobokan, Kuta, to take part in the FIVB World Tour Bali
Open 2003.
Preparations for this world-scale tournament, which ran from
Aug. 22 through Aug. 24, by the Indonesian Volley Ball
Association (PBVSI), were meticulous.
Aiming at promoting Indonesia and Bali on the international
volleyball stage, the association hoped the tournament would
attract as many foreign participants as possible.
The event was hoped to attract people, especially foreign
tourists, back to the island after the Oct. 12 bombing. But luck
was not on the organizers' side, as a powerful bomb exploded
again, this time at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta.
Soon after, a number of participating countries, including the
United States and Brazil -- both world top-seeded teams --
canceled their participation for security reasons. Still, the
local audience was satisfied watching stunning performances from
distinguished volleyball teams from Australia, China, Cuba,
Canada and Eastern European countries, as well as from Indonesia.
For the nine participating Indonesian teams, the tournament
was a valuable learning ground. Lack of experience at
international events had forced local teams to yield quite easily
to their foreign counterparts, including the Australian team of
Clarke/Pottharst, who won a gold medal during the recent Olympic
Games in Sydney.
The Indonesian teams, including Ni Putu Timmy Yudhani and Siti
Nurjanah, have great potential, but so far they lack
international exposure.
"Honestly, most foreign participants had a lot more experience
and technical skills," chairperson of PBVSI Rita Soebowo
admitted.
Bali-based player Komang Eva Artaningsih said she was happy to
take part in the prestigious event.
"I hope we can participate in many more international events
to improve our skills."
China's top team of Tian Jia and Wang Fei won the final after
defeating another tough team from Cuba, Larrea Peraza and
Fernandez Grasset, with a score of 21-17, 21-19. The Chinese team
won US$22,000, while the Cuban team won $15,000 in prize money.
"This was our first trip to Indonesia. We were very impressed
by the beauty of Bali and the kindness of its people," Tian Jia
said.
"We are very happy to be here although we came in only as
runners-up. The tournament went smoothly. Everything was under
control despite the event being overshadowed by the threat of
terrorism," said Peraza.
For Bali at least, the success of the international sports
tournament at least helped to improve the shattered image of the
island in the eyes of the rest of the world.