On March 5, the 2026 FIVB World Beach Pro Tour Futures (Sanya Stop), which also functions as the 6th Asian Beach Games Sanya 2026 (the Games) Beach Volleyball Test Event, commenced at the Tianya Haijiao venue complex.

The tournament features 28 men’s teams and 20 women’s teams from 15 countries and regions. As the main event in the test series, it will undertake comprehensive, full-scale testing to evaluate the operational systems planned for the Games. Its launch marks the official start of the test events for the Games’ key competition sports.

Norwegian pair Hå‌vard Solheim / Oscar Majak Gundersen compete against Polish pair Mikolaj Kaczmarek / Tomasz Warych during the morning session on March 5

Chinese pair Guo Sihong / Song Jinyang face Germany’s Niklas Held / Luis Kubo during the morning matches on March 5

A total of 216 volunteers are supporting the beach volleyball test event. The volunteers have been assigned to 14 service departments at the venue, covering areas such as general operations, competition management, media services, and security support.

More than 100 service posts have been established throughout the venue complex, forming an efficient and comprehensive volunteer service network to ensure smooth event operations.

Chinese pair Li Wei / Du Hongjun compete against New Zealand’s Lucas Heggie / Noah Smith during the morning session on March 5

Athletes have spoken highly of the competition environment and the event organisation. Chinese players Du Hongjun and Li Wei mentioned that it was their first time competing in Sanya and that the test event was well organised and strictly in accordance with the Asian Beach Games standards.

They highlighted the professional venue conditions, noting that the sand quality, venue facilities, and logistical services approached world-class standards. Having just finished competitions at the National Games, the two athletes also observed that the event’s closed management procedures and security arrangements were more stringent than at many previous tournaments.

They stated that these measures fully reflected the significance of the upcoming Games and further increased their excitement for Sanya 2026.