Haiyang, China: The Olympic Council of Asia President, H.E. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, felt the pulse of the 3rd Asian Beach Games on a hectic first morning of competition in Haiyang on Sunday. His day began with a visit to the roller skating venue, where he was greeted by Liu Peng, President of the Chinese Olympic Committee and China’s Sports Minister.

The two sports leaders presented the first medals of the 3rd Asian Beach Games in the women’s and men’s 10,000-metre points race. The gold medal-winners were Guo Dan (China) in the women’s race, and Chen Yan-Cheng (Chinese Taipei) in the men’s event.

The motorcade of sports dignitaries, OCA and organising committee staff, security personnel and domestic and overseas media then made the short journey to the Main Media Centre, where the OCA President gave a press conference, along with COC Vice President and Deputy Sports Minister Yang Shu’an.

After an opening statement and question and answer session lasting around 45 minutes, Sheikh Ahmad and his entourage entered the Athletes’ Village, where they exchanged saloon cars and mini-buses for golf karts. First port of call was the office of Village Mayor Li Yingzuo.

Sheikh Ahmad congratulated the Village Mayor on all their hard work and preparations for the Games, and said he was very happy to be in Haiyang and to ‘Share the Joy’ of the event with the local people and Village residents.

“Our team will continue to make the best efforts for the smooth running of the Athletes’ Village in the coming days,” said Mayor Li. Before departing, Sheikh Ahmad wrote a lengthy message in Arabic as a permanent souvenir of his visit to the Village Mayor’s office and the Village itself.

The OCA President then headed for the athletes’ dining hall, where he chose his lunch from the Halal counter and sat down to eat along with other officials. After lunch he was happy to pose for group photographs with athletes from different countries, including Philippines, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Qatar and his home country Kuwait.

After a round of TV interviews near Flag Plaza and more souvenir photos, Sheikh Ahmad left the Village for the OCA HQ hotel. All in all it was a very fruitful and productive mission, mixing with the athletes, experiencing their conditions and promoting the concept of the Asian Beach Games to the domestic and overseas media.