VietNamNet Bridge – More than 2,500 athletes from 42 countries and territories have registered to compete in the fifth Asian Beach Games in Da Nang City from September 24 to October 3.

Volleyball women’s players compete in the National beach Volleyball Championship in Da Nang. Beach volleyball will be played at the 5th Asian Beach Games in Da Nang from September 24th to October 3rd. – Photo: VNS

Deputy Head of the Viet Nam Sports Administration, Tran Duc Phan made the announcement at a meeting in Da Nang yesterday, Sept 5.

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

“We are committed to providing the best service and facilities for all athletes and teams during the games in Da Nang, and we believe that Viet Nam will host a successful beach sports games with experience gained by organising the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Indoor Games in Viet 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 Viet Nam Olympics Committee, Hoang Vinh Giang said Viet 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.

Viet 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, Viet 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, Viet 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 Viet 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, Viet 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 Viet 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, Viet 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 Viet Nam has been drawn in group B with Indonesia and China, while Thailand, Myanmar and Laos play in group A.

In the team event, Viet 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 My Khe beach in Son Tra District and Non Nước beach in Ngu Hanh Son.

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.

Viet 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