Exclusive: Tech-driven spectacle to open Asian Beach Games in Sanya

The Asian Beach Games will officially open on Wednesday night in Sanya, where organizers are promising a short but striking ceremony that fuses cutting-edge technology with the rich cultural heritage of Hainan and China.

Opening ceremony artistic director Chen Weiya told Sports Scene's Shen Xiang that the show will take full advantage of its seaside setting.

"This is the first time we hold the opening ceremony on the edge of the sea, with the beautiful beach as the background," Chen explained. "Because this is the Asian Beach Games, we have gathered the most iconic elements of beach sports here in Sanya."

Beyond the coastal scenery, Chen said the production will be steeped in local and national culture. "We have included multiple charming Chinese characteristics in the ceremony," he said. "We have integrated almost all the outstanding traditional and folk cultures of Hainan, as well as the spirit of the Hainan Free Trade Port, into our performance. Our goal is to present an opening ceremony that is unique to this city."

High technology will also play a central role. For the first time, high-tech robots will serve as ceremonial pacesetters, welcoming delegations from across the continent.

"All of those robots will welcome athletes from various Asian countries and regions to the scene," Chen noted. "I believe they will be very happy and feel at home."

Unlike some past mega-events, the heart of the ceremony will be an 18-minute artistic segment focused on Hainan's identity, far shorter than the productions seen elsewhere, but deliberately so.

"For most large-scale sporting events, we now pursue simplicity and safety," Chen said. "The artistic performance showcasing Hainan's characteristics is only 18 minutes."

"Everyone knows that the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics lasted more than four hours, and the artistic performance was more than an hour. Now, we have compressed the performance to 18 minutes, which requires us to be more efficient and to make it highly condensed with artistic creativity. I'm confident that every second of our 18-minute performance will be wonderful and worth the anticipation."

Chen described the show as "sunny, charming, and unique to Sanya," reflecting both the city's tropical coastline and its evolving role as an international hub.

The Asian Beach Games will run through April 30, bringing together nearly 1,800 athletes from 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia. They will compete for 62 gold medals across 14 sports, with Sanya's opening night spectacle set to usher in the action on the sand and surf.