Jakarta, IO – Indonesia was named the new Chairman of the F1H2O (F1 Powerboat) Race on Friday, 16 December 2022. Handover of the title was directly performed by United Arab Emirates’ Chairman of Sharjah State Commerce and Tourism Development, Khalid AlMidfa, to the Republic of Indonesia Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Zainudin Amali, in a ceremony held directly after the 2022 Road to Sharjah Grand Prix of Middle East on Sunday, 18 December 2022. Also present at the ceremony was the Regent of Toba Poltak Sitorus.
Minister Amali went on to announce that the F1H2O this year will be held in Toba Lake, North Sumatra, on 24-26 February 2023. “F1H2O is a powerboat world championship held by the Union Internationale Motonautique or International Nautical Motor Association sponsored by H2O. It is the highest class of powerboat races, which explains the F1 in its name,” he declared in an official press release by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs.
The foreign media attending the handover ceremony Indonesia at Toba Lake, most prominently Italian and Arab country journalists, have started to bruit about “Toba Lake” being the venue of the race: “The Toba region, specifically Lake Toba, is suddenly hot news in global media. Formula 1 power boat fans are starting to find out everything about ‘Toba’. They are curious about ‘Why Toba?’, ‘What’s up with Toba?’, ‘What’s good about Toba?’, ‘How do we get to Toba?’, ‘What to do while in Toba?’, what foods are available, what travel and accommodation facilities are there, and much more,” Minister Amali said. “This will encourage the Indonesian Government, specifically the Toba Regional Government, to prepare themselves to satisfy the expectation of the F1 power boat tourists. They must make sure that these sports lovers also enjoy the tourist environment.”
Read: The enticing charm of Lake Toba
Minister Amali went on to declare that the Governments and businesses around Toba are working hard to prepare everything, to ensure that both local and foreign tourists will be satisfied. “We want to make sure that they are happy to have visited Toba Lake and its environs, and even plan to return. This is only possible when the residents work hard to become friendly, open, and accommodating hosts to the visitors,” he said. (rp)