Asian Beach Games postponed due to COVID-19

This picture taken on September 27, 2016 shows spectators watching as players compete during a men’s 3-on-3 basketball match between Nepal (red) and Indonesia (white) at the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam’s central coastal city of Danang (Photo by QUANG MINH / AFP) 

The Olympic Council of Asia has postponed the sixth Asian Beach Games in China to April 2-10 next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The games were initially scheduled to be staged in Sanya, China, from Nov. 28-Dec. 6. The OCA says the decision to push the dates back was taken in collaboration with the Chinese Olympic Committee and the local organizers. As was the case for the Tokyo Olympics, which were pushed back to the middle of 2021 by the IOC, the name — Asian Beach Games Sanya 2020 — and the logo will remain unchanged.

An OCA general assembly to decide between Doha, Qatar and Saudi capital Riyadh as host for the 2030 Asian Games had been scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the games in Sanya.

The delayed beach games on the southern Hainan island will begin a crowded schedule for multi-sports events in China, with Beijing set to host the Winter Olympics in February 2022 and Hangzhou hosting the Asian Games six months later.