Viral Bali running club shuts down after local residents allegedly blocked, leaked messages show
A popular Bali running club that went viral for its wild 5:30 a.m.“silent disco” events has hit pause on all operations after sparking intense backlash over allegations it systematically blocks local Indonesian residents from joining as members.Entourage Bali, a community organization catering to digital nomads and tourists, is under fire after leaked screenshots reportedly exposed messages where applicants were asked for their nationality before being rejected for being local.The controversy has triggered outrage across social media, with locals and expats criticizing the group for what they claim is creating exclusive foreign-only bubbles on public Balinese roads and rice-field paths.The organization was forced to apologize on Friday, after these allegations were reported by news.com.au.“We are extremely sorry for the people that have been offended and hurt … we never meant to be disrespectful or discriminate anyone,” a post on Entourage Bali’s Instagram account reads.“Some of our events have always been open and free for everyone … while others have had participation requirements,’ it continued, confirming the run clubs “are open to everyone and do not require registration.”It conceded it had “made errors in automated approval processes for our WhatsApp group and non-running events.”“A bias was created that some (and not all) plus 62 numbers / Indonesians were incorrectly rejected,” it continued.“We are pausing all events and activities for now.”The saga erupted after Instagram accounts like @denpasarstory, @joshberlari and @chrisgiacobbecomedy posted screenshots exposing the run club’s alleged vetting process and claimed Indonesian citizens were banned from joining.One direct message exchange, which has not been verified, allegedly showed an organizer asking, “By the way, are you Indonesian?”, to which the applicant replied, “Yes, I am.”The organizer then bluntly replied: “Okay, that explains why you are not accepte...