Beach volleyball competition a success

Murdani Usman and Pariama Hutasoit, Contributors, Seminyak, Bali

Huge numbers of foreign and local tourists pour in to the beautiful Petitenget Beach near the famous Kuta holiday resort. They did not come to enjoy the sunset or sunrise but to watch the fourth series of the Asian Beach Volleyball competition.

The competition last weekend, the first ever held on the tourist island of Bali, involved dozens of players from 10 countries throughout Asia and the Pacific.

As a country which has thousands of kilometers of pristine beaches, it's a pity it only has a few reputable beach volleyball players who can compete internationally.

Still unpopular among sports lovers, beach volleyball, which does not cost much money to play -- unlike golf or even tennis -- might someday become a sport of the people, like badminton or soccer.

National Volleyball Association (PBVSI) chairwoman Rita Soebowo expressed hope that in the future, Indonesian athletes could be recognized internationally.

In the competition, Indonesia's first pair of Agus Salim and Koko Prasetyo won gold in the men's category, defeating the strong Thai pairing of Thawip Thongkamnerd and Sataporn Sawangrueang during the final match on Sunday, Aug. 25.

But in the women's category, the three Indonesian teams failed to reach even the semifinals.

Blair Harrison, technical delegate from the Asian Volley Ball Federation, said Indonesia needed to work harder to improve facilities and technically up-grade its volleyballers if it wanted to host international beach volleyball events.

Bali, with numerous beautiful beach areas, will be a perfect host. Moreover, the are many more places across the country which can host beach volleyball competitions.

"If we regularly hold international events, our teams would gain a lot of benefits. More importantly, it could improve Indonesia's image in the international sports community," said Wismoyo Arismundandar, chairman of the National Sports Committee (KONI).