With the long-overdue Asian Beach Games returning in 100 days, Sanya in Hainan province is bustling with anticipation as it is set to host the continental sporting gala — hoping the event serves as a catalyst for its sports, leisure, and tourism sectors.

Already one of China's hottest tropical tourism hubs, Sanya, which is sits on the island province's southern tip, is expected to build on the beach sports carnival's exposure to enhance its appeal to international visitors, sports fans, and business investors in relevant sectors, organizers said on Monday.

Featuring 63 events across 14 sports, including Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines, the sixth edition of the Beach Games — which was originally scheduled in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic — will be held across eight venue clusters in Sanya from April 22-30, according to the event's organizing committee.

With preparations entering the home stretch, the city has been busy putting the finishing touches on venues, accommodation facilities, and transport infrastructure, while training and deploying operational staff at each venue to get ready for welcoming over 4,000 athletes and team officials from 45 countries and regions during the Games.

"All the preparatory work for the Games has been progressing smoothly and well on track," Xie Jing, vice-president of the Asian Beach Games' organizing committee and a vice-governor of Hainan province, said at a State Council Information Office news conference held on Monday to mark the 100-day countdown to the Games.

All the venues have been completed and service protocols being finalized — adhering to international standards — with an emphasis on reflecting the city's tropical island characteristics and the pursuit of ecological harmony.

"We are expecting to take advantage on the Games' influence to further promote the outdoor sports and leisure business in Sanya, as well as its optimal tropical tourism resources, to the global market," Xie said.

Dubbed as a tourism hot spot on the "edge of heaven and in a corner of the sea", Sanya is also striving to present itself to the world as a competent host of international sporting events, Chen Xi, the city's mayor, said.

"It provides us a great opportunity to develop a diverse offering of tourism products and services around sports, particularly outdoor and waters sports, to make Sanya more appealing to a wider range of visitors," Chen, who is also secretary-general of the organizing committee, said.

A total of 24 hotels with streamlined transport routs to the airport, train station, and all competition venues have been selected as the Games' designated accommodation facilities, while over 1,000 shuttle vehicles powered by clean energy have been prepared for Games participants, according to Chen.

A total of 5,000 volunteers, mostly students from local universities, will be recruited and trained to help facilitate the Games' operation at venues and city volunteer stations, while the design of a torch relay to be held at the end of March is proceeding on schedule.

Test events for sports including sailing, beach volleyball, teqball, and aquathlon will kickoff on Jan 16 to assess venue operations, equipment, logistical support, and emergency response, according to Li Jing, a vice-president of the organizing committee.

The Chinese delegation is expected to send about 190 athletes to compete in 61 events of 13 sports, with competitions of some Olympic disciplines — such as beach volleyball, 3x3 basketball, swimming, and sailing — serving as valuable warm-ups for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Li said.

"The Games will play an important role in discovering talent, training teams, and testing preparation results," Li, who is also a vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, said.

"Successfully hosting the Sanya Asian Beach Games is of great significance for comprehensively showcasing new achievements in Chinese modernization, new progress in building a strong sports nation, and new outcomes of the Hainan Free Trade Port," he added.