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Sanya Beach Games 2026 marked the return of the Asian Beach Games after a 10-year hiatus since the 2016 edition in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Beach Asiad is a multi-sport event for athletes all over Asia, providing vital support to the sports that are not a regular part of the traditional Asian Games.

As the name suggests, these Games are mostly sand-based or water/ocean-based sports events, boosting local tourism to various beaches across the continent.

China is hosting the sixth edition of this continental showpiece in April this year, featuring 14 sports, including various unique sports like Aquathlon and Dragon Boat.

Here are a few of those quirky sports events that will be part of the 2026 Asian Beach Games:

Aquathon

An aquathlon is a multisport race consisting of continuous running and swimming elements, making its debut at the Asian Beach Games here in China.

Under this event, an athlete has to start with a 2.5km run, followed by a swim for 1km and then finish the race with one more 2.5km run on the sand.

There are three medal events in Aquathlon – Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual and 4xMixed Relay Competition.

Beach Handball

Beach handball is a variation of traditional court handball, where the athletes have to aim for the goals on sand in an outdoor pit instead of an indoor mat.

Unlike handball, this event has a set system, having two 10-minute sets, with a half-time of 5 minutes, and if both teams won one set each, the teams will participate in a tiebreaker.

Another difference between the two events is that in the beach event, a team can score 2 points at one shot; if the goalkeeper scores a goal, or an outfield player scores a spectacular goal, such as a 360-degree jump and alley-oops.

Dragon Boat

Dragon boat racing has been a traditional Chinese paddled watercraft activity for over 2000 years and is returning to Asin Beach Games after 16 years.

The crew of a dragon boat consists of 12 team members: 10 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, 1 drummer, and 1 steerer standing at the rear of the boat.

There are six medal events at the 2026 Asian Beach Games with races for distances of 100m, 200, and 400m in both genders.

Beach Wrestling

Beach wrestling is a wrestling variation, played on a beach or in a similar sandy environment. Ground wrestling moves like Gut Wrench and take down are invalid in this.

The wrestler aims to push out the opponent of their circular ring to earn one point or put the opponent on their back, which immediately ends the bout.

The first wrestler to score three points wins the bout, and if it ends with a tied score in a given three-minute period, the wrestler who scored the last point is declared the winner.

Beach Kabaddi

Beach Kabaddi is one of the regular sports of the Asian Beach Games, having been a part of all the editions to date, played on a sandy pit instead of a mat.

It has four players per side instead of 7, with the two halves of 15 minutes on an outdoor sand pit with challenging winds and heat testing a player’s strength and endurance.

India has been the most dominant team in the women’s event, winning all five gold medals of the Asian Games, but has a good competition from Iran and Pakistan in the men’s discipline.