Seoul, Korea, October 20, 2022: The President of the Indonesia National Olympic Committee, Raja Sapta Oktohari, told the ANOC General Assembly that the beach games were coming home when Bali hosts the second ANOC World Beach Games next August.
Okto was leading the lively Indonesian presentation for the World Beach Games on the first afternoon of the General Assembly at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.
“This will be our Dream Games which will inspire a new generation,” he told delegates in inviting them to Bali for the August 5-12 ANOC World Beach Games, followed by the ANOC General Assembly from August 13-15.
“In fact, you could say that this is a homecoming because the beach games were born in Bali in 2008 when the Olympic Council of Asia organised the first Asian Beach Games.”
Okto added that the second ANOC World Beach Games would set a new benchmark for the event, which was held for the first time in Doha, Qatar in 2019.
There will be 14 sports, including 10 core sports, in four venue clusters, with the main hub at Nusa Dua. The 1,500 athletes from 100 National Olympic Committees will use hotels near the beach, meaning there will be no transportation costs because all participants will be able to walk to the competition venues. So far, 41 NOCs have qualified.
The Bali presentation began with an explosion of dance and colour as a team dressed in traditional Bali costumes entered the hall of the General Assembly and paraded down the aisles to meet on the floor at the back of the hall.
After the video presentation featuring government ministers and the personal invitation from Okto, the official logo was revealed. Based on a Balinese mask and incorporating beach and sea elements such as shells, a sail and the power of the waves, the delegates were highly impressed with the finished product.
Okto and Acting ANOC President Robin Mitchell then signed the host city contract.
