SANYA, China, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At noon on April 30, the women’s beach handball final of the 6th Asian Beach Games Sanya 2026 was held at the Tianya Haijiao Competition Venue. Vietnam defeated China in a penalty shootout to claim the final gold medal of this edition of the Games, while China took silver. With that, competitions across 14 sports, 15 disciplines, and 62 events concluded. The Chinese delegation finished with 24 gold, 18 silver, and 13 bronze medals, topping the overall medal standings.
On April 29, the champion Chinese team at the medal ceremony (Photo by Guo Cheng / Xinhua News Agency)
Sanya 2026 marked China’s second time hosting the Asian Beach Games, and was also the first major international multi-sport event held following the island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Zhang Xin, deputy head and secretary-general of the Chinese sports delegation, said: "China’s gold medal achievements showed encouraging breakthroughs across multiple areas and broad-based success. Most encouragingly, several sports achieved historic breakthroughs." Among them, young sport climber Zhao Yicheng broke the men’s speed sport climbing world record in 4.58 seconds. Several events set new Games records, while China swept all gold medals in aquathlon and open water swimming.
The organization of the Games also received high praise. At the press conference summarizing the event held on the 29th, Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia, praised this edition of the Asian Beach Games as a model of green, safe, simple, and digital event organization, noting that all delegations experienced Sanya’s warmth and charm.
For the host city of Sanya and for Hainan as a whole, the "traffic" generated by the Games is being converted into economic "gains." The vibrant beach competitions have driven a surge in consumption across the entire chain, including tourism, accommodation, catering, cultural and creative industries, and duty-free retail. The vision of "hosting one event, developing multiple industries, and benefiting the region" is becoming a reality.
Sanya 2026 is drawing to a close, but a new chapter in China’s beach sports has only just begun. The footprints left by the athletes will inspire more people to devote themselves to this captivating arena.
