The 6th Asian Beach Games 2026 torch relay in Sanya is scheduled for March 30, with 1,790 athletes participating in 14 sports, 15 disciplines, and 62 events. Wang Guoping, deputy director of the organising committee, emphasized that the relay will showcase Sanya’s coastal beauty and sports culture, highlighting the city as a tropical seaside destination with a growing sports scene. The opening ceremony, themed around vitality and joy, will take place on April 22 at Sanya Asian Beach Games Park.
The Games, running from April 22 to 30, will see participation from national and regional Olympic committees of 45 countries and regions, with 1,790 confirmed athletes. Notably, the women’s beach football event has been canceled due to a lack of teams, while other events will proceed as planned. The top five sports in terms of participants include beach handball, dragon boat, beach athletics, ju-jitsu, and beach volleyball, with beach handball attracting the highest number of athletes at 237.
Among the participating teams, Thailand, China, the Philippines, India, and Hong Kong-China are the top five in delegation size. Li Haigang, deputy secretary-general of the organising committee, mentioned that the competition schedule and event timetables have been optimized and will be released soon to assist media and spectators in planning their viewing schedules effectively. With preparations in full swing, operational teams at all venues have undergone rigorous training and exercises to ensure a high-quality competition environment for athletes, coaches, and officials.
