Kuwait City, Kuwait, November 3, 2020: The Olympic Council of Asia conducted the third Coordination Committee meeting with the organising committee of the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China by Zoom video conference on Tuesday, November 3.
The Asian Beach Games were due to be held from November 28 to December 6, 2020 but were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled for April 2-10, 2021.
Over 3,000 athletes and officials from the OCA’s 45 National Olympic Committees have registered to take part in the event but this number is expected to increase to 4,000 by the time accreditation closes on December 31.
The major talking point was the health and safety of the visitors to Sanya, which is a popular tourist resort on tropical Hainan Island, and the protocol before arrival in Sanya and departure to their respective countries and regions.
This included quarantine procedures, testing, social distancing measures in the games village and the policy if an athlete tests positive during the games.
“It is an urgent issue and a key point for the participation and the success of the Asian Beach Games,” said Mr Al Musallam.
The Deputy Secretary General of SABGOC, Sanya Vice Mayor Zhou Jun, said the prevention and control of the coronavirus was a “big challenge” for the organising committee and that all steps were being taken to guarantee the health of all participants.
“We will take everything into consideration,” he said. “We feel the Olympic spirit is becoming more important and we will keep in close contact with the OCA and join hands to ensure a successful Asian Beach Games.”
The 6th Asian Beach Games is set to host 16 sports, 18 disciplines and 82 events, with preliminary rounds of some team sports beginning March 31 before the opening ceremony on April 2.
A newly built Games Village will accommodate 4,000 athletes and officials in three residential zones, with the OCA, technical officials for each sport, media and doping control officers accommodated in nearby hotels.
The doping control will be managed by the China Anti-Doping Association (CHINADA) and the samples will be tested at the WADA-approved lab in Beijing.
