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Bintan to host 1st World Cup Beach Woodball Championship
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Tropical beach landscape with a leaning palm tree on Bintan Island. (Shutterstock/File)
B
intan Island has hosted a score of sports events, such as Tour de Bintan, Bintan Triathlon, IRONMAN and others. Adding one more to the list is the upcoming World Cup Beach Woodball Championship 2017 that will be held from Aug. 9 to 13 at the Bintan Lagoon Resort, Lagoi Bay.
“We are being trusted by the Woodland International Federation [IWbF] to host this first World Cup. Acting as the local committee is Indonesia Woodball Association [IWBA] in Tanjung Pinang that works together with Bintan Tourism Agency and supported by the Tourism Ministry,” said the event’s committee head Suparno.
Up to 12 countries and 176 players reportedly have signed up for the competition. Among the countries are Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, India, China, Uganda, Oman and Nepal.
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“We’re still waiting for the confirmation of other countries,” Suparno added.
The woodball game is quite similar to golf; but instead of clubs, it is played using wooden mallets, which makes the game more affordable. The target is to hit a ¾-inch ball through a narrow gate that is 30 to 150 meters long.
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Bintan Tourism Agency head Luki Zaiman Prawira is hopeful the event could increase the number of tourist visits in Bintan, “Our target is to attract around 1,000 foreign tourists."
“Visitors of Bintan Island is the fourth largest in Indonesia after Bali, Batam and Lombok,” added Tourism Ministry's Archipelago Marketing Development deputy Esthy Reko Astuti.
Esthy also mentions that Lagoi Bay is where luxury resorts are located. The bay itself is said to be the most popular destination in Bintan and has been recognized as the miniature of Singapore. (kes)
