The Asian Beach Games will make their long-awaited return this summer, ending a 10-year absence from the continental calendar. Host city Sanya is positioning the event as both a sporting spectacle and a tourism-driven showcase in China’s southern island province of Hainan.

Scheduled from April 22 to 30, the multi-sport event will feature 15 disciplines and distribute 63 gold medals across 14 sports. Organizers have emphasized the dual objective of elite competition and global destination promotion.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the hosting strategy mirrors what local sports leaders are pushing in the Philippines. He noted that international competitions can stimulate economic activity while elevating a city’s global profile.

Philippines fields wide-ranging beach sports lineup

Tolentino confirmed that the Philippines will send a 180-athlete delegation to Sanya. Filipino competitors will be spread across traditional beach events and emerging disciplines included in the program.

The national team will see action in 3×3 basketball, aquathlon, beach athletics, beach handball, beach kabaddi, beach soccer, beach volleyball, and beach wrestling. Athletes will also compete in dragon boat racing, jiu-jitsu, sailing, sport climbing, teqball, open water swimming, and water polo.

The games mark the sixth edition of the Asian Beach Games, last held in Danang, Vietnam in 2016. Sanya officials showcased their readiness during the World Press Briefing and World Broadcasters Meeting held earlier this week.

Host city highlights venues and tourism appeal

Media representatives from Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe attended presentations at the proposed Main Press Center and Media Hotel at Jianghe Hotel and Resort. Officials from the Sanya Asian Beach Games Organizing Committee outlined operational plans with full backing from the Olympic Council of Asia.

Journalists were given site visits to competition venues for beach handball, sport climbing, and beach volleyball, along with a tour of the Yasha Park Phase 1 Ring Theater. The theater is set to host both the opening and closing ceremonies.

The media program also included guided visits to major tourist destinations such as Luhuitou Scenic Spot and the Xidao Island Fishing Village. Organizers said these attractions are central to Sanya’s push to blend sport and travel.

All 45 national Olympic committees under the OCA are expected to participate in the games. Australia, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, and New Zealand have also been invited to send athletes.

The organizing committee is composed of the People’s Government of Sanya City and Hainan Province, alongside national sports and tourism agencies, the Chinese Olympic Committee, and the General Administration of Sport of China.