Sanya City in China was announced as host of the 2020 Asian Beach Games in June 2018, following an Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) inspection visit.

Boasting a heritage of several thousand years, Sanya is set to welcome more than 5,000 athletes.

The Asian Beach Games were originally scheduled to run from November 28 to December 5 in 2020, but had to be rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New dates of between April 2 to 10 in 2021 were originally set but these too proved impossible because of COVID-19.

In September 2021, the OCA announced that the Games would take place on dates to be confirmed in 2023 but no decision on the event has yet been taken.

Seven sports have been recommended for inclusion on the programme.

The sports are football, handball, 3x3 basketball, volleyball, aquatics, athletics and coastal rowing.

It was decided they should be included following a meeting of the OCA Sports Committee in Indonesia's capital Jakarta in August 2018.

The final 22-sport programme will be decided in consultation and coordination with the OCA, Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Organising Committee.

The Host City Contract for Sanya 2020 was signed at the OCA General Assembly in Jakarta. 

Sanya officials promised the OCA that the "pearl of the South China Sea" is ready to shine when it hosts the sixth edition of the Asian Beach Games.

COC vice-president Yang Shu'an assured delegates from the 45 countries and regions that Sanya would deliver a successful event.

About Sanya

Sanya is situated on the southernmost tip of Hainan Island in Southeast China.

It is served by Sanya Phoenix International Airport, which is located 11 kilometres southwest of the city centre.

The area is surrounded by places of interest and natural beauty.

East of the airport lies beautiful Sanya Bay and Tian Ya Hai Jiao, a world-famous seaside area which literally means "End of the World" in English.

To the south is the Phoenix Mountain Love Forever Scenic Area and the South China Sea.

Sanya's weather is summery all year round, with an annual average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.

The warm weather remains throughout the winter months.

Sanya has a population of 700,000.

In 2017, it welcomed 20 million visitors.

Sanya has a proud record for hosting major sporting events in recent years, including the Volvo Ocean Race and the Clipper Round The World Race.