Beach volleyball competition a success
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).