Will Israel participate at the upcoming 2023 World Beach Games in Bali? Amid mixed signals from Indonesian and competition officials on the matter, the country’s minister of youth and sports has given arguably the strongest indication yet that Israel will not join the games.
The recently-appointed Dito Ariotedjo said earlier today in Jakarta that Israel was not among the 69 countries that have been confirmed for participation during the Chef de Mission (CdM) Meeting held by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).
“I don’t see Israel [in the participants’ list]. So it won’t be a problem,” he said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, and the Southeast Asian giant has long condemned the Jewish nation’s brutal occupation of Palestine.
Two weeks ago, Bali Governor Wayan Koster threw his support behind the 2023 World Beach Games, to be held this August in Bali, despite the possible participation of Israeli athletes.
Koster’s statement, which came after a meeting with Dito and the chairman of the Indonesian Olympics Committee (KOI) Raja Sapta “Okto” Oktohari on April 14 in Denpasar, was a complete turnaround from his earlier opposition to the Israeli soccer team competing in Bali for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Koster’s rejection resulted in FIFA stripping Indonesia of its hosting rights.
Interestingly, according to the ANOC World Beach Games 2023 qualifications systems, there is still ample time for nations to qualify for the games, in disciplines such as beach soccer and beach wrestling.
Last weekend, ANOC secretary general Gunilla Lindberg dismissed Koster’s opposition to Israel’s participation as “noise in the media.”
“It is their Presidential election in six months. They have a new Sports Minister and he has gone out saying that everybody who has qualified is welcome and so has the President of the country [said that]. This Governor made noise in the media but so far we have not been approached at all so we continue to prepare as if nothing is happening and hopefully nothing is happening,” she said.
The 2023 ANOC World Beach Games in Bali will be the second edition of the beach and water multi-sport event. In Doha in 2019, Israel sent three of its athletes.
