TEHRAN – Head coach of Iran beach handball team, Mehdi Ghashghaei Rad, is shocked by the news of Indonesia's withdrawal as host of 2023 Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games.

Bali, Indonesia, has withdrawn as the host of next month's Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games, it has been announced on Tuesday.

As there is no time to find an alternative host for the event, the second edition scheduled between Aug. 5 and 12 has been cancelled. The event was set to see 1,500 athletes from 130 countries compete in 31 disciplines across 14 sports.

“It came as a shock to us to hear such news just weeks before the ANOC games,” said Ghashgaei in his interview with Tehran Times,

“The news was a surprise to all teams, not just the handball players, who were scheduled to take part in the World Beach Game.

“I can only compare the current incident to what happened in the previous edition of the competition when the U.S. withdrew from hosting and Qatar agreed to host instead,” he added.

A new host city for the ANOC General Assembly, which was due to take place alongside the World Beach Games, is expected to be announced later this year.

“Finding a new host for the tournament won't be an easy task for ANOC officials,” Ghashgaei said.

“Despite what happened, the training camps for Iran's beach handball national team will continue uninterrupted.

“We're getting our team ready for the ANOC games and the qualifiers for the IHF Beach Handball World Championships. The International Handball Federation hasn't announced the schedule for these events yet,” added the coach of Iran beach handball team.