Wednesday 22 / April / 2026
MUSCAT: Oman proudly took part in the vibrant and visually striking opening ceremony of the sixth Asian Beach Games (ABG), held on Wednesday evening in the coastal Chinese city of Sanya, marking the official launch of Asia’s premier beach sports event.
The Games, running from April 22 to 30, were inaugurated in a colourful seaside spectacle at the Sanya Asian Beach Games Park, set against the backdrop of Yalong Bay.
The ceremony carried the theme of vitality, openness and celebration of beach sport, featuring artistic performances inspired by ocean culture and Asian unity.
Oman’s delegation was represented during the opening ceremony, triathlete (aquathlon) Mohammed Al Ghailani and women’s sprinter Alia Al Mughairi carried the national flag, symbolising the nation’s dual-gender representation on the continental stage.
Chinese State Councillor Shen Yiqin officially declared the Games open after a grand parade of 45 National Olympic Committees, with athletes marching in to mark the return of the continental event after a 10-year hiatus.
A total of 1,790 athletes from 45 countries are competing in 14 sports, 15 disciplines and 62 events, making this one of the largest editions in the history of the Games.
The Omani team is competing across five disciplines—football, volleyball, handball, athletics and aquathlon—as part of a strong national contingent seeking to build on its established record in beach sports.
This edition of the Asian Beach Games is particularly significant, being the first major continental multi-sport beach event hosted by China’s Hainan province and the first major international sporting event in the region since the launch of the Hainan Free Trade Port in 2025.
Originally scheduled for 2020, the Games were postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic before finally returning to the international sporting calendar in Sanya.
