Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2020: Iran’s Chef de Mission for the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, Peyman Fakhri, says that Iranian athletes have a chance of winning medals in all sports, although the open water swimmers will take part just to gain experience.
The OCA's 6th Asian Beach Games were due to be held from November 28-December 6, 2020, but have been rescheduled for April 2-10, 2021.
Iran’s National Olympic Committee will send more than 60 athletes across 10 sports to the ABG. The delegation includes beach soccer, beach volleyball, beach handball, beach wrestling, beach athletics, beach kabaddi, sport climbing, water polo, open water swimming and 3x3 basketball.
“So far 60 athletes have been registered for the competitions. However, the National Olympic Committee will consider the athletes’ condition and there may be some changes in the final number of participants,” Fakhri told the Tehran Times.
He added: “The athletes will be selected through the examination of their conditions for winning medals. Iranian athletes have a chance to win medals in all sports except swimming, which is a sport that we want to support for the future and in which we do not expect to win medals this time.”
Since the first Asian Beach Games took place in Bali, Indonesia in 2008, Iran has accumulated 56 medals – the sixth highest in the medal rankings – with 31 of those coming at the 2014 ABG in Phuket, Thailand.
The last edition was held in 2016 in Da Nang, Vietnam.
There will be 17 sports, 19 disciplines and 93 events in four venue clusters at Sanya, which is a popular tourist destination on tropical Hainan Island and well known for its long, sandy beaches and luxurious resorts.