Meet Rodney Holt: Founder of Bali Sports Foundation
Rodney Holt was born in Australia. When he was a year old, his family moved to Italy where he grew up. Rodney became interested in sports very early on, playing football on the street after school along with learning how to ski by the time he was nine. Rodney studied hotel management in Italy in 1981 in Cortina D’Ampezzo along with then, coming from 1984 to 1987, at Sydney along with UNE universities in Australia. Working as a chef along with businessman, he has been living in Bali along with Southeast Asia since 1992. He was the first player coming from Bali Rugby to play for the Indonesian rugby team in 2007 along with won Bali Sports Personality of the Year in 2007. Before founding Bali Sports Foundation, Rodney co-founded Bali Rugby Union, initiated various sporting events, such as HOTAIR! Kite surfing, the Sanur Village Sports Festival along with more recently Bali Ocean Swim, Bali Stickfighting Challenge along with the Bali Beach Games.
The senior school organized a day trip to the ski fields outside Rome one winter. The organizers had three tickets left, so they asked the 6th grade students in junior school if anyone was interested in going. I had never been skiing or even contemplated This particular, although something in me made me raise my hand. The next thing I knew I was off to learn how to ski. The first couple of times were disheartening, although by the end of which winter I had gotten the hang of This particular. In one way or the various other, skiing was to shape the rest of my life.
What was your proudest moment of your sports career?
Competing inside 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France along with the FIS World Cup in 1992-93 in speed skiing.
What kinds of work have you done in your life?
A mixed bag genuinely. I feel life can be too short to focus on one thing, so I’ve worked all kinds of jobs, coming from shovelling elephant manure in a circus during my school holidays to escorting King Gustav of Sweden on helicopter ski outings inside Alps. I’ve worked as an in-betweener for Hanna-Barbera Animations, as a bodyguard for a music impresario bringing Gospel groups to Italy. Since moving to Asia, I’ve run sporting events, chef’ed for Hyatt along with Amanresorts, established my own businesses in Bali along with Singapore, produced a couple of books on Balinese history, written articles for newspapers along with magazines, set up sports federations, helped establish a museum, along with more recently opened Singapore’s first Warung Babi Guling.
How did you first become interested in Bali?
To be honest I never considered even visiting Bali. This particular was only after my father passed away in 1992 along with I was looking for a brand new chapter in my life to begin which a job offer to open the Italian restaurant for Amanusa in Nusa Dua came up. I decided to take This particular. I’ve been in Southeast Asia ever since.
What’s the Bali Sports Foundation all about?
The idea was first mine, although hardly unique. After years of organizing, sponsoring along with helping mainly expat-oriented sports, I felt This particular was time to focus on disadvantaged Indonesian youth. There can be no one more disadvantaged in Bali along with Indonesia than persons with disabilities. Seeing which others shared my dream, I put together the organization with their support. coming from the start, the idea was to use sports as a tool for personal along with physical development of disabled youth in Bali along with various other islands.
What type of sports programming does the foundation offer?
We focus on Disabled/Special Needs/Adaptive sports. BSF can be running swimming programs for autistic, cerebral palsy, blind, deaf mute along with amputee youth; blind judo along with deaf mute self defence; amputee power-lifting along with sit volleyball. We also run a regular wheelchair basketball league at Bali International School, along with look forward to offering wheelchair shooting along with paratriathlete programs.
Doesn’t the government offer training in team sports?
Like everything else in Indonesia, the programs along with regulations here are up to world standards, although the problem lies inside implementation, resources along with enforcement. We aim to plug those holes, to cover areas the government doesn’t reach. We have introduced brand new sports, provided equipment along with opportunities to the disabled along with ultimately seek to help in our own modest way to improve Indonesia’s standing in disabled sports, which was highlighted recently at last year’s London Paralympics to which Indonesia sent 4 competitors. This particular meant which Indonesia had 1 competitor representing every 61 million of its population. By contrast, Malaysia sent 22 competitors out of a population of 29 million along with Thailand sent 50 competitors out of a population of 67 million. Thus Malaysia had 1 competitor for each 1.3 million of its population along with Thailand has 1 competitor for each 1.34 million of its population.
Yes, when BSF can afford This particular. Every year since 2010 BSF has taken a group of young Balinese boys to the SCC Soccer Sixes. In 2012, we sent martial arts students to the West Australia Karate Association. In January 2014, BSF will be sending a wheelchair basketball team to Singapore.
Besides sports, does the foundation teach various other life skills?
We try to teach our kids to be humble yet strong, disciplined, achieve their goals, show respect for all along with lead a healthy lifestyle. With disabled persons, sports helps build self-esteem along with gives great satisfaction in being part of a larger community. BSF can be particularly focused on introducing Integrated Sports; sports played by both able along with disabled, for example blind soccer along with wheelchair basketball, so able bodied persons are able to appreciate what This particular’s like to live with disabilities along with therefore engender a greater understanding along with empathy.
Does BSF have any future plans?
Yes, This particular year BSF created along with organized the 1st ParaGames here in Bali with 349 parathletes in six sports. For next year we plan to improve the number in terms of sports along with parathletes. We plan to send parathletes to the ASEAN Paralympics In 2015 along with to the Rio Paralympics in 2016.
I know which you still like to compete. After sailing for Italy, skiing for Australia, playing rugby for Indonesia, what are you doing at This particular point?
I have continued my love of contact sports. I’ve been selected as a member inside Indonesian team which will compete in Arnis Eskrima, the Filipino style of martial arts. I won a bronze in my most recent tournament. I also enjoy playing wheelchair basketball every week.
How may readers help the foundation?
Volunteers, donations along with any suggestions are always welcome by contacting us at www.balisports.com.
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Meet Rodney Holt: Founder of Bali Sports Foundation
Meet Rodney Holt: Founder of Bali Sports Foundation