ĐÀ NẴNG — More than 2,500 athletes from 42 countries and territories have registered to compete in the fifth Asian Beach Games in Đà Nẵng city from September 24 to October 3.

Deputy Head of the Việt Nam Sports Administration, Trần Đức Phấn made the announcement at a meeting in Đà Nẵng yesterday.

“All preparations for the games have been completed. Stands and venues are in the final installation and checking stages,” Phấn said.

“We are committed to providing the best service and facilities for all athletes and teams during the games in Đà Nẵng, and we believe that Việt Nam will host a successful beach sports games with experience gained by organising the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Indoor Games in Việt Nam in 2003 and 2009,” he said, adding that the meeting provided information on logistics, venues, accommodation and traffic to representatives of Asian sports federations.

Vice chairman and general secretary of the Việt Nam Olympics Committee, Hoàng Vĩnh Giang said Việt Nam would target third place in the medal table at the fifth games.

Draws

Also yesterday draws for five events, beach soccer, kabaddi, sepak takraw, handball and three-a-side basketball, were held at the meeting.

Việt Nam men’s beach soccer team was drawn in group A with Thailand and Laos, while group B consists of Oman, Qatar and Lebanon.

Group C will feature the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Palestine, while Japan will compete against China and Afghanistan in group D.

Beach football will be held from September 25 to October 2.

In handball, Việt Nam men’s team is in group A with Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Group B features Bahrain, Afghanistan and Qatar, while Oman, Japan and Mongolia are in group C.

Group D includes Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

In the women’s division, Việt Nam will play against Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Jordan and Indonesia in Group A, while Thailand, China, Japan, India, Mongolia and Bangladesh play in group B.

In Kabaddi Việt Nam will only be represented by the women’s team, which has been drawn in Group B with Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

India, Korea and Indonesia will play in group A.

Pakistan’s men’s team will play in group A with India, Thailand and Indonesia, while South Korea, Sri Lanka and Malaysia compete in group B.

In sepak takraw, Việt Nam will compete in group A of the men’s event with South Korea, Laos and Myanmar, while group B is comprised of Brunei, India and Nepal.

The women’s team of Việt Nam will face China and Myanmar in Group B, while Laos, India and the Philippines compete in group A.

In the men’s regu event, Việt Nam will play Thailand, Laos and Malaysia in Group A, while Group B will include Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar and Brunei.

The women’s team of Việt Nam has been drawn in group B with Indonesia and China, while Thailand, Myanmar and Laos play in group A.

In the team event, Việt Nam men’s team play in group A with Korea and India, while Group B is included Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The main sports will be played on Mỹ Khê beach in Sơn Trà district and Non Nước beach in Ngũ Hành Sơn.

Athletes will compete across 14 sports with 22 events.

The main coastal roads will link beach venues and hotels, and athletes will not need to travel far to the next venue.

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

At the previous edition of the event 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 hosts the regional sporting event. — VNS