Over 1,000 media professionals register to cover Asian Beach Games in Sanya

More than 1,000 media professionals have registered to cover the Sixth Asian Beach Games, scheduled to be held in April in Sanya, Hainan province, according to organizers.

The figure was announced at a World Press Briefing and World Broadcasters Meeting that concluded on Tuesday in Sanya. Delegates from countries including Argentina, Bahrain, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, and Italy attended the two-day event to prepare coverage plans.

Zhou Jian, director of the Olympic Council of Asia's media and broadcasting department, said the meeting provided an important opportunity for international media to assess venues, facilities, and the overall readiness of the games.

In a video address, Gianni Merlo, president of the International Sports Press Association, said China's experience in hosting major multi-sport events had created confidence among global media. He described broadcasting as a bridge between countries and said he expected to attend the games in April.

Local officials said the event is also intended to highlight Hainan's development as a free trade port. Li Xuanliang, deputy director of the Games' executive committee, said the media gathering helped present the competition as a platform for regional exchange, allowing global audiences to better understand both the sport and the openness of the Hainan FTP.

Zhang Changfeng, vice-mayor of Sanya and deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee, said preparations had entered a critical final phase and invited international media to help convey the city's sporting atmosphere and hospitality.

Participants toured major venues, including the Games Park at Tianya Haijiao and the Sanya Sports Center, to inspect broadcast facilities and media workspaces.

Several international journalists said they experienced visa-free entry under Hainan's island-wide special customs operations.

Jacob Harmen Robert de Groot, a journalist from the Netherlands, visited Sanya for the first time. "I really felt the convenience of the policy—being able to enter visa-free," he said.

Martin Fernando Mazur of Argentina noted the change in policy. "I can enter visa-free in Hainan. Such a policy makes visitors feel much smoother and more at ease," he said, adding that openness creates a favorable impression.

Joze Zidar, a Slovenian sports journalist, said, "I have been to over 100 countries and to China more than 20 times. But this trip to Hainan was the most convenient and smoothest entry I have experienced."

Currently, citizens from 86 countries can enter Hainan visa-free with ordinary passports.

As the first major international sports event in Hainan after the special customs operations, the games aim to showcase the FTP's openness, policy benefits, and unique charm to Asia and the world.