Sanya wins bid to host 2020 Asian Beach Games

The Chinese city of Sanya in the southernmost Hainan Province has won the bid to host the 2020 Asian Beach Games. The decision was voted on by the 37th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 19, while the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games are being held there. 

The 2020 Asian Beach Games will be held from November 28 to December 5, 2020, according to The Jakarta Post. 

This will be the second time that the Asian Beach Games will be held in China since it was inaugurated in 2008. The third edition of the Games were held in Haiyang, China in 2012. Sanya 2020 Asian Beach Games will be the sixth edition. 

There will be 17 events in the 2020 Asian Beach Games, including beach football and martial arts. 

Sanya is a very famous tourism destination in China as a result of its coastal location and tropical climate. Sand, golden beaches, blue sea and sky and hot temperatures are the typical impression of Sanya in Chinese peoples’ minds. 

Sanya has previously hosted the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championships and the 2017-18 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Sanya Stopover. 

Xu Zhenling, Vice Mayor of Sanya gave a presentation at the OCA General Assembly and said “We are confident we can 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”, according to Chinese media Ecns.cn. 

Reference: People.cn 

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick