A Running Club Application Ignites a National Conversation
What began as a rejected membership request to a Bali running club escalated within days into an immigration enforcement action, a senator's public rebuke, and a fresh round of soul-searching about how foreigners conduct themselves on an island that now receives more international visitors annually than it has residents.
On July 24, Indonesian immigration authorities announced they had barred two Dutch nationals from re-entering the country over their involvement with Entourage Bali and its silent disco running event. The two individuals, identified by the initials JAS and HQV, had already left Indonesia the day before. Indonesia's top immigration official, Hendarsam Marantoko, stated at a Jakarta press conference that the event was not organized in accordance with Indonesian immigration rules, which prohibit foreigners from running activities outside the scope of their residence permits. He described the club as functioning like a "state within a state," according to state news agency Antara, which first reported his remarks.
What Entourage Bali Said
The dispute began when social media posts, some including screenshots of apparent message exchanges, alleged that Entourage Bali had rejected Indonesian applicants while admitting foreign ones. The club responded on Instagram, apologizing to anyone who felt "offended and hurt" and attributing the rejections to "errors in the automated approval process" on its WhatsApp groups, which it said caused some Indonesian phone numbers to be incorrectly filtered out. The club also published attendance figures from its July 22 silent disco run, noting that 22 of 94 registrations, roughly 23 percent, were Indonesian nationals, the largest single national group at the event. It announced a pause on all activities.
Several other running clubs operating in Bali, including Rise Run Bali and Far Ubud Run Club, also suspended their events in the days that followed.
Bali senator Ni Luh Djelantik added her voice publicly, saying she had raised the matter with immigration authorities. "Bali is welcoming, but our hospitality should never be mistaken for a license to disrespect us," she wrote on Instagram. She acknowledged receiving an apology from one of the organizers but said it did not change her position that they should return and face accountability.
A Pattern of Stricter Enforcement
The Entourage Bali case fits into a broader pattern. Bali welcomed nearly 7 million international visitors in 2025, a figure that exceeds the island's population of roughly 4.5 million. Alongside that growth, enforcement has intensified. Between January and June of this year, Bali immigration authorities deported 342 foreign nationals. For context, 378 were deported across the first nine months of 2024, and 335 were deported throughout all of 2023. Earlier this year, Bali governor Wayan Koster introduced new rules for foreign tourists and set up a public WhatsApp hotline for reporting suspected violations. In April, an Italian man was deported after a video of him in a physical altercation with a traffic officer went viral, and in May authorities detained 62 foreigners during a three-week enforcement operation.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent hospitality operators in Bali should treat this moment as a prompt to review how any events, activities, or community gatherings they facilitate are structured. If a property hosts or promotes third-party events involving foreign organizers, confirming that those organizers hold permits appropriate for the activity is now a practical necessity, not a formality. Guests who ask for recommendations about local clubs or events will also benefit from a host who can point them toward groups that operate transparently and inclusively. Being seen as a responsible local partner, rather than a passive conduit for foreign-led ventures, is increasingly relevant in the current climate.
The details in this post were first reported by Business Insider, as carried by Yahoo News.
First reported by Bali Travel.