Beach volleyball goes to town to find an audience
Beach volleyball goes to town to find an audience
With not a swaying palm tree in sight, the LA Menthol
Indonesia Open beach volleyball tournament is being held in the
heart of Surabaya's concrete jungle of hotels, malls and offices.
The venue for the tournament, the third leg in the inaugural
Indonesia Open, is the sizable carpark of Surabaya Plaza.
Two courts of sandpits have been set up surrounded by wooden
stands. Six water sprinklers periodically shower the players to
keep them cool.
Organizing committee official Slamet Mulyanto said venues
other than the beach were not unusual.
"It's common. Take Hong Kong. The tournament is staged on the
fourth floor of a four-star hotel. In Berlin, players have to
mingle with mallgoers before they get to the venue in the mall's
parking lot," Slamet told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
He said urban dwellers were expected to come out to see the
matches right on their doorstep.
"The tournament creates an appealing spectacle needed by
commercial promotion," said Slamet, who is also an official of
the Indonesian indoor and beach volleyball governing body PBVSI.
"With people in big numbers coming to the tournament, sponsors
will find it an appropriate vehicle for promotions for their
products. In return, PBVSI's efforts to hold as many tournaments
as possible to boost the sport development are on track without
us spending money."
The Surabaya tournament could have been held at nearby
Kenjeran beach, Slamet said, but "who would have come out to
watch the matches? The sand isn't good at all".
About 600 cubic meters of sand have been transported from
Tuban, around 150 kilometers in the northwest of the city, to
build two courts at the parking area.
Although there are few spectators in the morning, more come
out by the afternoon despite the blistering sun.
The players are pleased with the setting.
"It's very good. The atmosphere looks grand with the
tournament being played the city. "I think it's better to play in
the city because more crowds will come to the tournament, unless
the beach was near to the city," said Malaysian Lim Poh Hong, who
plays with Iswari.
Ni Putu Timy, this country's best prospect with partner Devota
Rahawarin for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, who won both of the
previous legs of the series, finds a unique challenge in playing
in the city.
At the beach, her bikini would be considered appropriate
attire and she would not have to be fearful about what others
think. In the city, it could be a different matter.
She recalled that at the Yogyakarta stop, religious
conservatives protested against the women's players outfits.
In Michael Peters' native New Zealand, the game is only played
on the beach.
"But I like it here. You see the grandstand with a big crowd.
A mall is nearby. The competition is tough, with strong teams,"
said Peters, who plays with Brendon Heath. JP/Musthofid