Russian and Brazilian players compete in the beach soccer final at the World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar in 2019. (Photo: benarnews.org)
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia has withdrawn as host of the 2023 Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games and the ANOC General Assembly in August 2023 which were scheduled to be held in Bali next month.
ANOC on July 4 announced the withdrawal, saying that it is with great surprise and extreme disappointment that it has learned that the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) has withdrawn from its commitment to host the two events.
According to Indonesia's Antara news agency, KOI expressed an apology for its decision, citing limited time to process administration and bureaucracy as the reason.
Indonesia’s sudden withdrawal made ANOC unable to find an alternative country and had no choice but to decide to cancel this year's World Beach Games.
Previously, in October 2021, the ANOC General Assembly chose Indonesia as the host of the second World Beach Games, after Doha (Qatar) in 2019. According to the original plan, the Games will be held from August 5-12 with the participation of about 1,600 athletes from 130 countries, while the ANOC General Assembly will take place from August 13-15./.
