Events to promote Bali - Jakarta Post

Tourism organizations, in cooperation with the sports committee, are planning various events under the Bali Sports Tourism program to promote the island as a sports destination.
The Indonesian Tourism Businesses Association (GIPI) and the Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) will work together with the Bali branch of the National Sports Committee (KONI) to hold the events, aiming to attract more visitors to Bali and at the same time provide more opportunities for athletes to compete.
The first event to be held under this program is Bali Sports Week 2013, which is scheduled for Nov. 1 to 17, involving nine separate sporting events and one recreational event.
“We hope the events will make Bali better known as a sports destination,” GIPI chairman Ngurah Wijaya, also the chairman of Bali Sports Week, said recently.
The event will be held in Bali’s low season to help the tourist industry attract more tourists.
Bali Sports Week will feature nine competitive events — marathon, supercross, swimming, off-road racing, chess, volleyball, gateball, woodball and badminton. The event, in which more than 1,000 athletes are expected to participate, will also include one recreational event: cycling around Bali.
The swimming competition will be held in open water, with two distance categories: five and 10 kilometers.
The gateball matches, scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15, are expected to see 64 teams participate.
Plans are still underway for the badminton competition as this will have to be synchronized with the national team’s schedule.
The marathon is intended to be the closing event, held on Nov. 17. The organizers are seeking permission to hold the marathon on Bali’s new toll road with the start and finish line in Nusa Dua.
As an alternative, if they could not obtain permission, the marathon would take place on Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai.
“We will promote this event so that it can attract more domestic and foreign tourists and amateur athletes that will take part in the competitions,” Ngurah said.
While the event would have a positive impact on the island’s tourism, it would also be good for KONI, since the achievements of Indonesian athletes would improve, he added.
According to Ngurah, Bali had the potential to be a sports destination, partly because of its nature, citing that various water sports could be done in the island’s waters.
“As for the other sports, Bali still needs to improve its facilities, like sports stadium and fields, and facilities for athletics. It would be good if Bali had a sport center,” he said.
He added that regular sports events organized by the private sector had been held in Bali every year, were well-managed and could be promoted more widely, including by involving KONI and the tourist industry.