A high-level delegation from the Olympic Council of Asia visited the Chinese tourist hot spot of Sanya on Hainan Island on June 10-11 to assess the city’s credentials in bidding for the OCA’s 6th Asian Beach Games in 2020.
Led by the Director General, Husain Al Musallam, and the Honorary Life Vice President, Wei Jizhong, the OCA team inspected various venues and hotels proposed for the ABG.
If the OCA awards the 6th ABG to Sanya, it would become the second Chinese host of the popular beach games format, following Haiyang in Shandong province in 2012.
The OCA team also included Song Luzeng, Chairman of the OCA Sports Committee, and Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Director of International & NOC Relations.
The visit was held over two days, from June 10-11, and the delegation was received by the Vice Mayor of Sanya City, Xu Zhenling, and by Ghao Zidan, Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee.
Sanya is the southernmost city on Hainan Island and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in Southeast China.
The city, nicknamed “China’s Florida”, is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination, also serving as the training site of the Chinese national beach volleyball team.
The OCA started the Asian Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia in 2008. Due to the low costs of hosting the ABG, with an abundance of natural resources, the need for only temporary venues and the continent-wide promotional opportunities, the event was an instant hit with athletes, spectators and officials alike.
Since the inaugural ABG, further editions have been held in Muscat, Oman in 2010; Haiyang, China in 2012; Phuket, Thailand in 2014, and Danang, Vietnam, in 2016, after which the OCA decided to hold the event every four years instead of every two due to the large number of multi-sport games in the calendar for its 45 National Olympic Committees.
