China's Sanya to host 2020 Asian Beach Games

JAKARTA -- China's coastal heaven of Sanya will host the 6th Asian Beach Games in 2020 as approved by a general assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) here on Sunday.

The city in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, one of the most famous tourist destinations in the country and once a host of Miss World pageant, is the only applicant to host the continental event.

"We are confident to deliver a successful and incredible event, which will later prove to be a precious legacy for our city and for the region, definitely beyond sports," said Xu Zhenling, vice mayor of Sanya, when giving a presentation at the 37th OCA General Assembly.

The Sanya Games are expected to be held from late November to early December with 17 sports, such as beach football, beach athletics, martial art, dragon boat racing and triathlon, according to the assembly.

Nicknamed "China's Florida" due to its tropical climate, Sanya also serves as the training base of the Chinese national beach volleyball team.

Citing Sanya's privileges of ideal beaches for competition, infrastructures in place, rich experiences of hosting international sport events, efficient transportation and high-quality accommodation, Xu also pledged to have staff and volunteers properly trained, especially on their foreign language skills to make sure athletes and visitors free from language barriers.

"We would like to show the world a green and energetic city with great hospitality and sports spirit and we are expected to see all the athletes achieve their personal best in Sanya," she said.

The Asian Beach Games was inaugurated in Bali in Indonesia in 2008, and was followed by competitions in Muscat in Oman in 2010, Haiyang in China in 2012, Phuket in Thailand in 2014 and Danang in Vietnam in 2016.

The event then switched from a two to a four-year cycle to avoid the "large number of multi-sport games in the calendar" following an OCA decision in 2016.