SANYA, China, April 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 6th Asian Beach Games officially kicks off this evening with a grand opening ceremony. All eight competition venue clusters for the games in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, are fully operational.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
The games, scheduled for April 22-30, mark the first major international multi-sport event in Hainan since the special customs operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port took effect. Some 1,790 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees across Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, have registered to compete in 14 sports (15 disciplines), with 62 gold medals on the line.
Organizers said the eight venue clusters cover about 280,000 square meters and offer 10,150 ticketed seats. Nearly 118,000 tickets have already been sold. Six clusters are located along the "Coconut Dream Corridor" of Sanya Bay, one sits beside the Sanya River, and one is inside the Sanya Sports Center.
Beach volleyball, rock climbing and beach handball competitions will take place at the Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area. Beach soccer, teqball, beach wrestling/jujitsu, sailing, the swim-run, swimming, beach kabaddi and beach athletics events will be held along the 22-kilometer stretch of Sanya Bay beach and adjacent waters. Dragon boat competitions are set for the Sanya River, while 3x3 basketball and an independent training hall are at the Sanya Sports Center.
From the official hotel and the athletes' village, all competition and training venues can be reached within 30 minutes.
"Tianya Haijiao is an iconic Chinese landmark - its image is even printed on Chinese currency," said Martin Fernando Mazur, an Argentine journalist who toured the facilities. He described the decision to place core competition zones directly inside a famous scenic area as "bold and imaginative".
The venue designs incorporate traditional totemic elements of Hainan's Li and Miao ethnic groups. The Games' mascot, "Yaya," inspired by the Hainan Eld's deer, is now on display at the core areas of all venues. Additionally, the opening and closing ceremony site features a "Deer Turning Head" themed light installation, which draws on a celebrated local legend to tell Asian guests the story of Sanya, known as "Deer City."
"We are not building isolated stadiums," said Huang Chuiqin, Deputy Executive Director of the Venue Department of the Sanya Asian Beach Games Organizing Committee. "Rather, we are 'placing' a competition arena directly onto the beach. After the Games, these temporary facilities will be dismantled, giving back a pristine beach to the citizens."
Source: The 6th Asian Beach Games Sanya 2026 Organizing Committee
Contact person: Ms. Wu, Tel: 86-10-63074558