Big Day for Doha Beach Games

(ATR) From dawn to night, the sport is never-ending on day three of the inaugural ANOC Beach Games in Doha.

The schedule for Sunday includes 11 of the 13 sports on the program, the most across the six days of competition. More than 1200 athletes from 97 countries are in Doha for the event.

The first medals of the games were won as the sun came up in Doha. In the 5km open water swim Marcello Guidi of Italy won the men’s gold for Italy. Ana De Jesus Soares from Brazil is the women’s gold medalist.

Spain captured the gold medal for men and women In the karate katacompetition on Katara Beach where the temperature reached 35c.

Antonio Espinos, World Karate Federation President tells Around the Rings, this is the first time a sanctioned WKF event has been held on sand.

Bouldering, a discipline in sport climbing, debuted Sunday in the beach games Sunday. There are 19 competitors each in the men’s and woman’s events, with a scramble to make the cut to reach the medal round on Monday. Bouldering is one of the two sports to be held away from the shoreline. The Aspire sports complex will host the sport along with skateboarding which begins Monday.

Medal rounds Monday include skateboard, the new triathlon discipline of aquathlon, bouldering and waterski/wakeboard.

Reported in Doha by Ed Hula.