This year, Indonesia forfeited the chance to host two major international events that could have put it on the global sports map. The international soccer federation FIFA stripped Indonesia of the right to host the Under-20 World Cup in May/June. Last week, the Association of National Olympics Committee (ANOC) canceled the World Beach Games that was to take place in Bali in August.

FIFA was able to relocate the tournament to Argentina, but ANOC said time was too short to find an alternative, so it scrapped the games altogether to the disappointment of not only more than 100 international athletes who had been preparing for the event, but also millions of Indonesians who had look forward to see first-hand their athletes competing with the world’s best. There was bigger disappointment with the U-20 tournament cancelation as soccer’s is one of the nation’s favorite pastimes.

Indonesia’s global ranking in sports is already low as it is. In the Tokyo Olympics last year, it came 59^th in the medals’ tally. It came 10^th in the 2018 Asian Games but this was helped by the fact that it was hosting it. More indicative of its position in the region were the 2014 Games in South Korea, when it came 17^th. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia struggled and came third, behind Vietnam and Thailand, in this year’s South East Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia.

Bidding to host international tournaments is always competitive. After winning these two bids, Indonesia shot itself in the foot as it became embroiled in domestic rows over Israeli participation. FIFA decided to play it safe and relocate. ANOC said last week it had been notified by the Indonesian Olympics Committee that the official funding for the Bali tournament was not forthcoming, suggesting the initiative to get the event canceled had come from higher up in the government.

The government had earlier explained to the domestic audience that these events would be organized and hosted by the international bodies and that Indonesia was only providing the facilities. The presence of Israeli athletes, it argued, should not be construed as recognition of the Jewish state, which Indonesia has consistently opposed.

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A long-standing regulation from the Foreign Ministry, renewed in 2019, gives guidelines on Indonesians engaging with Israelis, which include banning official contact, not hosting Israel official delegations and no hoisting of Israeli flags or playing its national anthems on Indonesian soil. Israelis holding regular, rather than official/diplomatic passports, are still allowed to visit Indonesia but under very strict conditions.

What’s more

During the row over the U-20 tournament, the Foreign Ministry said it was prepared to issue visa for the visiting Israeli soccer team and their band of supporters. This was not unprecedented. Indonesia had hosted several international events where Israelis were present, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Bali last year.

But soccer, and the beach games, are more popular and hence visible so the presence of Israelis would generate much attention. With Indonesia facing a general election in February, they are also easily politicized, which is exactly what happened with the two events.

In March, it was Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo who came out strongly in opposing the presence of Israeli soccer team playing in Surakarta, a town in his province, that had been chosen as one of the venues for the tournament.  Bali Governor Wayan Koster also spoke out against receiving the Israeli team in his province. Ganjar is running for president and Koster will likely run for reelection. Both are members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to which President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo belongs.

Koster has also spoken out against the World Beach Games taking place in Bali, in defiance of the government earlier assurances that the event will take place.

This being an election year, politicians running for office could not take the risk of being perceived as endorsing visits by Israelis, even if the government has found a way to circumvent the regulation. This could easily be used against them in election campaigns.

Koster and Ganjar cited the spirit of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, who in 1958 banned Indonesia from playing against Israel in the World Cup qualifying round, earning a penalty from the Olympic Committee. In 1962, Indonesia barred Israel and Taiwan from taking part in the Asian Games which it was hosting. This led to Indonesia’s membership at the Olympic International Committee being suspended, the first in its history.

Neither man said Indonesia at the time was in the middle of a diplomatic campaign to win Papua (then called Irian Jaya) from the Netherlands. The decision not to play against Israel was crucial in winning the votes of Arab countries at the United Nations.

In spite of President Jokowi’s repeated appeals not to mix sports with politics, this is exactly what is happening today with the U-20 World Cup and the World Beach Games. Playing to domestic audience is far more important than Indonesia’s credentials to host world sport events and the development of its own sports performance at the global level.

These two cancelations will seriously undermine Indonesia’s ability to host international sporting events in the future. Indonesia has already submitted its bid to host the Olympics in 2036, and is considering to bid, individually or with neighboring Southeast Asian countries, to host the World Cup in 2034.

So much for Indonesia Raya.

What we’ve heard

Several sources said Indonesia’s withdrawal as the host of World Beach Games was purely driven by unresolved funding for the sporting event, rather than the issue of Israel, which will not participate in the competition anyway.

Two government officials familiar with the event preparations said the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) had proposed a budget of around Rp 1 trillion to organize the games, but the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) assessed that only Rp 200 billion could be disbursed.

Following a review, the Ministry of Finance approved a budget of approximately Rp 460 billion for the World Beach Games.

The same sources said KOI then asked the Bali government to plug the deficit. "The Bali governor rejected the request, saying financing should fall under the central government’s authority," said a cabinet member.

Disclaimer

This content is provided by Tenggara Strategics in collaboration with The Jakarta Post to serve the latest comprehensive and reliable analysis on Indonesia’s political and business landscape. Access the latest edition of Tenggara Backgrounder to read the articles listed below:

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