The ‘Aloha Pasir putih PIK 2’ (Aloha Beach) north-west of Jakarta, Indonesia was the venue as a total of eight teams with players from Jakarta, Bogor, Bekasi and Banten competed in the men’s and women’s events of the ‘2024 Aloha Beach Handball Competition’.

Games were played in a round-robin, league format with five teams participating in the men’s competition, including ‘The Xhield HC’, ‘SIT BBS’, ‘Bogor Muda’, ‘UNJ’ (Universitas Negeri Jakarta) and ‘Kabupaten Tangerang’ (Tangerang Regency), while Bogor Muda and Kabupaten Tangerang represented again in the women’s event, alongside ‘Dream Team’ in a three-team competition.

In the end, Bogor Muda took home gold in both events in a successful one-day competition held on Saturday (27 January).

“Aloha Pasir putih PIK 2 was chosen as the location because it has its own charm,” said Chairman of Aloha Beach Handball 2024, Adi Prasetya Utama.

“It has become a new tourist destination on artificial beaches, which have a Hawaiian feel, and this event was a great opportunity that is fully supported by Aloha Beach, KONI Tangerang Regency, Handball Athletes, IMSPORT.TV (Indonesia Multisiar Sportama), 22 and the handball community throughout Jabodetabek (Greater Jakarta area).”

The event marked the restart of Beach Handball events in the country following the shock cancellation of the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games, which were due to be hosted in Bali, but were cancelled last July.

On the continental stage, Indonesia’s women have been impressive on the sand, winning bronze in their debut AHF Asian Women’s Beach Handball Championship in 2023, while the men have appeared just twice, their first appearance in 2019, followed up by their second last year.

“Indonesia has a strategic geographical location and the number of beaches to develop beach handball, both nationally and internationally. This was like a test event, which we will hope will lead to even bigger events,” said Head of the Kabupaten Tangerang Handball Association, Rika Atia to ihf.info about the event.

 

 

 

 

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“Where I live, in Kabupaten Tangerang, Banten Province, it is very famous for having beautiful beaches and the beach is not a difficult place to reach – the location of this event is very easy to reach and very strategic.

“Sport is part of my life and Beach Handball is part of that.” added Atia, who is a former international player and current team manager for the Indonesian national teams. “Creating a handball event is something I love to do and through this event we have given many athletes – and people in general – the opportunity to experience and feel the joy of playing handball, especially Beach Handball.

“This event was successful because we had a very simple goal: to get everyone playing Beach Handball with a happy feeling and happy heart. One of my dreams for Indonesian Beach Handball is to always develop it with heart and welcome back Asian and global events to our country.”

Further events featuring Beach Handball are planned in Indonesia later in 2024, with the Indonesia Handball Association fully behind the sandy discipline.

"We have many potential handball athletes from all provinces across Indonesia and are ready to prepare for – and host – not only Indonesian events, but regional, continental and global events,” said Zulfydar Zaidar Mochtar, President of the Indonesia Handball Association, to ihf.info.

“Events such as the first Aloha Beach Handball Competition highlights our continued commitment to develop Indonesia as a place for Indonesian athletes to hone their skills. The Indonesian Handball Association supports everything which helps develop Indonesian handball for the future, especially Beach Handball.”

To watch games from the event, click here.

Rankings and Results

Men’s Competition

1. Bogor Muda

2. UNJ

3. Kabupaten Tangerang

4. BBS

5. The Xhield

The Xhield HC vs SIT BBS 1-2

SIT BBS vs Kabupaten Tangerang 0-2

Bogor Muda vs UNJ 2-0

The Xhield HC vs Kabupaten Tangerang 1-2

SIT BBS vs UNJ 0-2

Kabupaten Tangerang vs Bogor Muda 0-2

UNJ vs The Xhield HC 2-0

SIT BBS vs Bogor Muda 0-2

UNJ vs Kabupaten Tangerang 2-0

Bogor Muda vs The Xhield HC 2-0

Women’s Competition

1. Bogor Muda

2. Dream Team

3. Kabupaten Tangerang

Kabupaten Tangerang vs Dream Team 0-2

Kabupaten Tangerang vs Bogor Muda 0-2

Bogor Muda vs Dream Team 2-0