Bubble IBF 2021, Tight But Makes Athletes Comfortable

IBF 2021 participants spend their free time around the swimming pool at Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Badminton as one of Indonesia's proud achievements has returned to life in the country after almost two years of suspended animation without competition due to the pandemic.

The end of 2021 will be a turning point for national badminton to again show its existence in world-class event performances, namely through the Indonesia Badminton Festival (IBF).

Unmitigated, the event which took place from November 16 to December 5 is claimed to be the biggest badminton celebration that Indonesia has ever held so far.

Not only from the length of the implementation time but also the tournament which was held three times in a row. Starting with the Indonesia Masters (Super 750) on November 16-21, the Indonesia Open (Super 1000) on November 23-28, and closing with the season-ending tournament BWF World Tour Finals on December 1-5.

Launching Antara, the number of athletes who joined also reached 256 people who came from 26 countries including Indonesia.

Not only is it festive and majestic, but he also guarantees that the 2021 IBF implementation will take place safely because it implements a "bubble" system that is supervised by 930 security and health personnel.

The bubble system is a tight and controlled area that is used in a large event to prevent transmission of the virus between participants and outsiders, which is now commonly used in high-scale sports events during a pandemic.

Although strict, PBSI guarantees that all bubble dwellers at Westin Resort Nusa Dua will not be pressured and bored because the committee provides some entertainment and supporting facilities for everyone in the area.

The Head of Public Relations of PP PBSI, Broto Happy, also compared the bubble situation at IBF with the previous tournament in Europe which was not very comfortable.

While accompanying the badminton national team in the Sudirman and Thomas Cups in September, Broto remembered very well that the process in the bubble area was not too strict because athletes were still allowed to leave their rooms to buy food.

"You can go out there looking for food, but yes, the atmosphere is boring and it affects the mentality of the players. It's very different from our event in Bali, everyone feels comfortable and happy even though they are in a bubble", said Broto quoting Antara.

Isolation period

Before starting the Indonesia Masters match, all participants and interested parties in the 2021 IBF are required to undergo five days of isolation at the accommodation location.

The IBF 2021 activities are centered at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua, which includes an inn complex, and the Bali International Convention Center (BICC) which is the arena for the competition. Outside the Westin Resort, the committee also provides a hotel that is located about one kilometer from the central zone.

The accommodation at the Ibis Hotel is inhabited by event support personnel, security personnel, and media crew covering the IBF 2021 agenda. Like the Westin Resort, this hotel also uses a strict bubble system and all residents are not allowed to leave the area.

To connect the two locations, the committee deployed a sterile transportation fleet, all of which the drivers and coordinators became part of the bubble dwellers so that there was no interaction with the outside environment.

Despite requiring strict protocols, the committee also provided necessities and entertainment for all bubble participants.

Inside the Westin Resort, entertainment packages such as film studios, swimming pools, sports facilities, craft activities, to beach recreation are facilities that residents can enjoy as a release from fatigue during isolation.

At the IBF 2021, the committee does not want to only demand that participants obey the rules, but also tries to indulge so that everyone in the bubble can feel comfortable.

Even the committee also freed athletes to bring their families to stay and vacation, as long as they participated in the bubble system from the beginning until the tournament was over.

Enjoy entertainment

This opportunity was not wasted by athletes to bring their families to the Island of the Gods as a means of vacation and unwinding after months of separation due to undergoing tournaments in other countries.

For example, Hendra Setiawan, who took his three children and wife to Westin Nusa Dua to release their longing after being busy defending the Red and White in Europe.

The men's doubles specialist athlete appreciated the committee for taking part in thinking about the mental condition of the players by providing access to entertainment and being allowed to bring their families.

French badminton athletes playing billiards at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua entertainment facility, which is the IBF 2021 bubble area (Photo: Antara)

"Even though they live together in the bubble, so far they are not bored because they can still play and there are many facilities", said the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal winner.

Foreign athletes, such as Viktor Axelsen from Denmark and Yuta Watanabe from Japan, also took advantage of the opportunity to vacation in this bubble, who were visiting Bali for the first time.

Viktor, who recently won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, was accompanied by his daughter and partner who came with the Danish team.

Based on Antara's observations at the location, Viktor often spends his free time with his daughter playing or swimming.

"Vega (Viktor's daughter) really likes swimming and playing in the water, but I don't want to swim too often. I don't bring a lot of pants here, so I have to save money", said Viktor while talking by the pool.

In contrast to other players who deliberately invited his family, Yuta actually came to Bali with his parents because of an accidental element.

The 24-year-old badminton player explained that his parents were part of the sponsors for the 2021 IBF, so he received an invitation to come to Bali.

He also only found out about this shortly before he left for Bali, so he did not arrange a vacation agenda with his family beforehand.

"Actually, I didn't know that my parents were planning to come here. They are often sponsored for tournaments or championships, and this time it turned out that Indonesia (the committee) was invited here", he said.

Although he has not been able to enjoy Bali tourism as he has always dreamed of, he is grateful that his parents can enjoy life in a bubble and are committed to coming back another time.

"Bali, actually I really want to come here not to compete. Yes, I want to be able to take a walk. If, for example, I have time, I want to come here again for a trip", he concluded.