Countdown starts to 5th Asian Beach Games in 2016

A ceremony was held in the central city of Da Nang on September 24 to start the 365-day countdown to the fifth Asian Beach Game s (ABG 5), which will take place from September 24-October 3, 2016.

The event saw the attendance of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho.

This marks the start of a series of promotional activities for the successful hosting of the Games in the city.

Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Dang Viet Dung said Da Nang will do its utmost to meet the expectation of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Games Organisation Board.

The city and its people will do their best to make athletes and tourists feel at home during their stay in the city for the Game.

The countdown clock, funded by the US Holiday Beach Da Nang Hotel & Resort Joint Stock is 21m long, 2.2m high, and decorated with the ABG 5 logo and mascot and the icon of the Ngu Hanh (Marble) mountain – a renowned site in the city.

The Asian Beach Game s is one of the continent’s biggest sport events, initiated by the Olympic Council of Asia .

The biennial event was held for the first time in 2008 in Bali, Indonesia. The following versions took place in Muscat (Oman) in 2010, Haiyang, China in 2012, and in Phuket, Thailand in 2014.

In ABG 4, Vietnam ranked 5th in the medal tally with eight gold, 12 silver and 20 bronze medals.-VNA