BALI, Indonesia – This island resort of 3.2 million is the site of the first Asian Beach Games which is being held under the auspices of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The OCA is headed by a member of the Kuwaiti royalty, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah. It’s the world’s first ever Olympic-style beach games.
The Games, which cost the host Indonesians about $35 million, had its formal opening ceremonies last Saturday. It will end on Oct. 26.
Bali, which is the largest and most popular tourist destination of this sprawling Indonesian nation of 17,500 islands, plays host to 45 countries represented by 3,000 athletes taking part in 19 water- and beach-based sport disciplines such as handball, kabadi, pencak silat, soccer, sepak takraw, volleyball, wrestling, basketball and water polo. Other sports are body building, dragon boat, jet ski sport, marathon swimming, paragliding, sailing, surfing, triathlon, windsurfing and woodball.
It is clear that the intent of the beach games is to further expand the coverage of beach sports that was pioneered by beach volleyball which is now part of the Olympics, Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games. Beach sports take advantage of the natural attraction offered by beaches and the fascination people have for the sea and nature. Beach sports combine both tourism and environmentalism which are built –in advantages of beach sports over most indoor games.
One of the key personalities behind this historic staging of the beach games is Ramon (Tats) Suzara, former venue manager of the Philippine Institute for Sports (Philsports) complex in Pasig and secretary general of the Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association.
Suzara, 48, was unceremoniously eased out of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) by certain quarters who found him too close to some people these quarters’ were not particularly fond of. Suzara, however, has found vindication in his being recognized by the international sports community. He is deputy director general of operations of the Bali Asian Beach Games Organizing Committee (BABGOC).
With hundreds of volunteers and staff reporting to him, Suzara is responsible for accreditation and uniforms; broadcast and press services; games services; information technology and telecommunications; and sports and venues. He was technical director of the FIVB, world governing body for volleyball, and was commissioned 18 months by the Indonesian Olympic Committee as consultant to help put together the Bali games.
Suzara reports to the BABGOC director general, his long time colleague in volleyball, Rita Subowo.
Proof of the prestige of the Asian Beach Games is the presence of no other than the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Jacques Rogge of Belgium who flew into Bali Friday evening to attend the colorful opening ceremonies that had 5,500 guests that included the royal families of Brunei and Jordan and Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and wushu’s Julian Camacho.
There is no shortage of Indonesian government support with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kaila named as patrons of the games. Dressed in a Balinese costume, and in what the Jakarta Post called a rare public appearance, President Yudhoyono opened the inaugural Asian Beach Games at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park in Ungasan Hill, Jimbaran.
Judging by the membership of the policy making and operating arms of the BABGOC, it is very clear that the Indonesians and Balinese have given utmost importance to the Games. All of Bali is festooned with banners and streamers proclaiming the Games’ theme of “Inspire the World.” No doubt, the presence and involvement of Suzara, known for his organizing prowess and skills, will add more teeth to the Games’ organizational set up.
Suzara, who has lived in Jakarta for the last 18 months, is very much at home with the responsibilities entrusted to him by the international sporting community. After having met Rogge at the Denpasar airport, Suzara confided in me that he finds tremendous fulfillment and joy in what he is doing for himself, his family and the Philippines. Truly, Suzara, who has been asked to help organize the 2010 Asian Beach Games in Muscat, Oman, is an addition to the exclusive list of Filipinos who are serving world sports with skill and dedication.
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Last week, I had mentioned that getting that elusive Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics is going to require more than just identifying priority sports although that initiative is, by itself a daunting job given the tendency of the task to become political and another horse trading exercise.
Putting it simplistically however, the main criterion for prioritization should be demonstrated capacity to win or contend for medals since elite sports are purely medal oriented.
More on sports prioritization next week.