ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng is preparing to host the Asian Beach Games, the region’s largest beach sports event, on the central city’s clean, welcoming beaches.

Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Khánh Hải spoke of the progress of preparatory efforts at the Heads of Sport Delegation (Chef De Mission) Meeting in Đà Nẵng yesterday.

“Việt Nam will make every effort to host the perfect sports rendezvous for over 3,000 athletes and 1,500 coaches from 45 countries and territories, who will compete in the coastal city from September 24 to October 3 this year,” Hải said.

 “We hope that all participating countries will send their best athletes to compete in the games with the aim of strengthening co-operation and friendship with each other,” he said.

Hải stressed that the game would be organised under the theme "Shining Sea, Bright Future’.

The Olympic Council of Asia’s honourary life vice president, Wei Jizhong, expressed his thanks to the Việt Nam government and Đà Nẵng’s People’s Committee for the preparations they have made for the Games.

“I want to thank all the people of Đà Nẵng and the city’s People’s Committee for their warm welcome and hospitality. The Asian Beach Games have gradually become a universal event, with more athletes and countries joining each year,” Jizhong said.

“We come to enjoy friendship and harmony among the member countries at the Games. I’m sure that Việt Nam and Đà Nẵng will host the 5th Asian Beach Games with great success,” he said.

The two-day meeting, which drew the representatives of 39 countries and territories, focused on reviewing the final reports of the competition’s schedule, timeline and preparations made by Việt Nam and Đà Nẵng, as well as on doping tests, logistics and communications.

Last year, Đà Nẵng started the final countdown for the 5th Asian Beach Games.

The event will draw 10,000 participants, including athletes, coaches and officials from Asian countries, who will compete in 14 sports with 22 events for 172 medal sets.

Athletes in Asia will be playing at four venues on the most beautiful beaches in the world: Mỹ Khê Beach and the beaches in the Ngũ Hành Sơn and Sơn Trà districts in Sơn Trà Peninsula.

As scheduled, the main coastal roads will link the beach venues and hotels, and the players will not need to travel far to get to the next venue.

Events will include marathon swimming, water polo, kabaddi, and men’s beach football, as well as volleyball, handball, three-a-side basketball and sepak takraw (rattan-ball kicking). Beach martial arts such as wrestling, sambo, jujitsu and kurash, as well as pencak silat, vovinam, muay Thai and Vietnamese traditional martial arts will be part of the Games. Other events include shuttlecock kicking, petanque (iron ball bowling), bodybuilding and bowles (wooden ball), as well as rowing and athletics.

The East Sea Park will host the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the main sports.

At a previous competition in Thailand two years ago, Thailand was crowned the overall Asian Beach Games Champion for the second time.

Việt Nam finished in fifth place - their most successful campaign in the history of the Games, with eight gold, 12 silver and 20 bronze medals.

The 5th Asian Beach Games will be the first time the country has hosted the Games, after hosting the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2009 and the ASEAN-level competition in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games. — VNS