In a surprising and disappointing development, the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) has been informed that the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) has backed out of their pledge to host the ANOC World Beach Games and the ANOC General Assembly in August 2023.
Given that the Games were set to start in a month, this late-hour withdrawal leaves ANOC unable to secure an alternative venue. As a result, there’s no choice but to call off both this year’s Games in Bali and the ANOC General Assembly in August. As for the General Assembly, a determination about a new venue and schedule will be made in the following weeks.
The KOI cited non-release of the requisite funds by the Government as the reason behind this decision, leaving insufficient time to carry out the Games. ANOC expresses deep disappointment in KOI’s move, which will deprive athletes from 100 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) the chance to compete in the Games.
ANOC would like to extend its heartfelt apologies to the affected NOCs, athletes, the International Federations (IFs) who have been dedicated partners of the event, and fans globally.
Despite hurdles in the preparation phase, which is typical for any significant multi-sport event, ANOC had been continuously reassured by the KOI that they would find solutions and that the Games would proceed as planned.
Weekly coordination meetings were held between ANOC and KOI, including one as recently as last week. However, the KOI never hinted at any problems that could culminate in such a drastic result.
ANOC’s primary concern at the moment is to offer support to the athletes and ensure the NOCs and IFs receive as much compensation as possible considering the cancellation of the Games.