The 2020 Asian Beach Games are set to take place in Sanya, Hainan Island, China, from 28 November to 6 December.

Organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the Games feature 17 sports in 19 disciplines across 93 events, with men’s and women’s beach handball competitions one of the most popular events.

The 2020 Games will be the sixth edition, following Bali, Indonesia in 2008; Muscat, Oman in 2010; Haiyang, China in 2012; Phuket, Thailand in 2014 and Danang, Vietnam in 2016.

For all 19 sporting disciplines, pictograms (‘Mascots-in-Motion’) featuring the mascot of the Games – a deer called ‘Ya Ya’ – have just been released, including beach handball.

"The sports pictograms have to present not only an amicable, lovely and lively Ya Ya, but also the characteristics of each sport in terms of speed, professionalism and strength,” said Zheng Lei, head of the design team. 

“The design team for the mascots-in-motion endeavours to produce a stunning effect in a simple but vivid manner to capture the decisive moments of each sport, showcasing its special value and physical excellence.”

‘Ya Ya’ is an ‘Eld’s Deer’, which is indigenous to South Asia and wears an ethnic costume, characteristic to the region. The first ‘Ya’ of the name comes from Sanya, and the second one comes from the word ‘Asia’, which is ‘Yazhou’ in Chinese, and was chosen to represent the ‘the dynamic, interconnected and inter-dependent relationship among Sanya, Asia and other parts of the world’.

The personality of Ya Ya is ‘attentive, robust, leisurely, and cheerful’, according to the Sanya 2020 organising committee, and embodies the ‘enterprising, vigorous, and youthful sports spirit of Sanya 2020 with its sparkling eyes, smiling face, and dynamic sports gestures.’

Along with the logo – which features blue, green, yellow and orange colour blocks shaped into the number six to represent the fact that Sanya 2020 is the sixth edition of the Asian Beach Games – Ya Ya the mascot forms an important part of the Games’ visual system, with both set to be widely used in all the sports venues, marketing, and image and look projects for the Games promotion.

A slogan has also been launched in English for Sanya 2020 – “See Ya in Sanya!” – which represents ‘…a short, youthful and friendly catchphrase for visitors from all over Asia and beyond…and the relaxed and family-oriented concept of a beach and sea sports festival.’

During the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games in Qatar last October, members of the Sanya 2020 Organising Committee, including Vice Mayor Zhou Jun, spent time with the China women’s beach handball team so they could gather first-hand experience and knowledge.

Qatar’s men’s beach handball team have won the past three editions of the Asian Beach Games (2012, 2014, 2016), with Pakistan winning the debut edition in 2008 and Kuwait in 2010. In the women’s competition, the People’s Republic of China have also won three times (2008, 2010, 2012), with the past two hosts taking the title (2014 – Thailand, 2016 – Vietnam).

Sanya 2020 will be the first time Hainan holds a continental-level multi-sport event, which is currently the only continental-level multi-sport event to be held in China this year.

For more information about Sanya 2020, visit the official website, www.sanya2020.cn.