Agony for Kenya as World Beach Games in Indonesia are cancelled

Team Kenya hoping to represent the country in the highly anticipated World Beach Games scheduled for August in Bali, Indonesia have been dealt a massive blow following the cancellation of the games after the hosts withdrew in the 11th hour owing to lack of funding.

A statement from the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) on Tuesday night confirmed that Indonesia made the decision after their government failed to release money for hosting.

It means that this second edition of the event, that was to take place between August 5 and 12, will be cancelled as there is no time to find an alternative host for the event that was set to see 1,500 athletes from 130 countries compete in 31 disciplines across 14 sports.

“With the Games scheduled to take place in one month, the decision at such late notice prevents ANOC from being able to find an alternative host and so there is no option but to cancel this year’s edition of the Games in Bali in August as well as the ANOC General Assembly,” a statement from ANOC said.

“ANOC is very disappointed by the KOI’s actions which will deny athletes from 100 qualified NOCs from fulfilling their ambitions of competing at the Games. ANOC offers its sincere apologies to these NOCs, athletes and the International Federations who have been committed partners of the event, and to the fans around the world.”

The Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) claimed that they were forced to pull out after the budget was not released by the Government in Jakarta, something which came as a "great surprise and extreme disappointment" to ANOC, they claimed.

Bali had been effectively awarded the Games at the ANOC General Assembly in Crete in October 2021, even though the country was banned at the time from hosting international events due to Indonesia's anti-doping organization being suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The ban was subsequently lifted by WADA in February 2022 and Bali was confirmed as host by ANOC in June with a host city contract being signed during the ANOC General Assembly in Seoul last October.

Kenya had qualified several teams into the World Games including the women’s football, wrestling, aquathlon as well as the women’s handball team.

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The women’s football team had qualified without kicking a ball at the Africa Beach Games which ended in Hammamet, Tunisia last Friday, after their only opponents Cape Verde pulled out in the 11th hour.

Wrestlers Mathayo Mahabila and Mark Omumasaba were also assured of tickets in Bali after medaling in Hammamet, while the women’s handball team was angling for its debut after finishing in second place behind hosts Tunisia.

They would have been the second hosts of the ANOC World Beach Games after Qatar hosted the first event in 2019.

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