Wide Range of Medal Winners at Asian Beach Games

ATR's coverage of the Asian Beach Games is proudly sponsored by the Olympic Council of Asia

(ATR) The Asian Beach Games (ABG5) in Da Nang pass the midway point on a busy day in which 17 sets of medals are awarded, including all seven up for grabs in beach bodybuilding.

Medals are also being awarded in beach athletics, petanque, rowing, sepaktraw and shuttlecock as competition continues in four venue clusters along the scenic beaches of My Khe, Son Thuy, Phuong Trang, and Bien Dong Park.

Attaining medals in each of the first four bodybuilding events, host Vietnam leads the medal count with 77 medals, including 27 gold. Thailand, which hosted the 2014 Beach Games in Phuket, has 58 medals, including 24 gold. China is third with 31 medals and six gold.

Thirty-three of 41 countries have medaled at the Games with competition winding down on Wednesday night. Of these, 21 have won at least one gold medal.

Olympic Council of Asia honorary vice-president Jizhong Weispoke of the positive aspects of witnessing a diverse array of countries finding the medal table.

"One of the OCA’s aims is to encourage Sport For All, and to embrace all sports from the five zones of the continent," Wei said.

"By doing so, the OCA gives athletes from a wide variety of sports and from all regions the chance to represent their flag in an international multi-sport games and to experience and promote the values of Olympism.

"Medals won here in Da Nang will be celebrated back home, and the successful athletes will be lauded on their return by the sports authorities and the public."

One-hundred and seventy-two medals are being awarded in 22 sports in the Vietnamese coastal city.

"A wide range of medal-winners and a colorful variety of flags at the victory ceremonies can only be positive for the development of sport as a whole throughout the region," Wei added.

"By offering these beach sports athletes the chance to excel on the international stage, the OCA is sending a clear message that the Olympic movement in Asia is inclusive and is ready to support and encourage all our athletes and help them achieve their dreams."

Some 2,195 athletes are officially participating at the fifth edition of the Asian Beach Games, below the pre-Games estimates by the organizers of 3,000 to 4,000 athletes.

Attendance of events in Da Nang has been lukewarm as the Games make the turn for home. Aside from sports like Muay Thai, beach soccer, and beach handball where Vietnamese athletes are prospering and large audiences have been enthusiastic, other highly touted sports, including beach volleyball and athletics, are being contested with limited spectators.

The Games conclude with the closing ceremony on Monday, Oct. 3.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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