On April 23, senior leaders from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the local organizing committee for the 6th Asian Beach Games Sanya 2026 gathered for a joint press briefing in the coastal Chinese city of Sanya, Hainan province, where they praised the upcoming multi-sport event as a landmark demonstration of pan-Asian unity.
During the briefing, OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam responded to a question from China Daily, offering high praise for the preparations and core mission of Sanya 2026. He emphasized that the Games are not just a collection of coastal athletic competitions, but a tangible realization of the OCA’s foundational ‘One Asia’ philosophy, which seeks to bind the diverse continent’s communities together through shared experience.
Beyond athletic competition, Al Musallam highlighted the event’s integrated cultural programming, which will bring together people from every corner of Asia through traditional folk performances, region-wide food festivals and other people-to-people exchange activities. These off-field initiatives, he noted, are designed to help young Asian athletes and attendees build deep, long-lasting relationships that transcend the boundaries of sport, fostering cross-cultural understanding that endures long after the closing ceremony.