1st Asian Beach Games 2008

October 6, 2008 – 11:02 am

The first Asian beach Games will be held in Bali from October 18th until October 26th. Bali will become the venue of this international event which will see 45 countries participating with over 10,000 athletes, officials, media and volunteers all flocking to the Island of the Gods for this world class event.

The Asian Beach Games is a multi-sport event held every two years among athletes representing countries from Asia. The games celebrate cooperation and unity despite differences where athletes from a wide variety of nations are able to travel, meet new people, and bring back memories about the rest of the world to their home nations. The Asian Beach Games forge unity and friendship between their member nations by joining athletes, trainers, and officials together.

Many of the usual beach activities will become sporting events such as beach volleyball, paragliding, Jet skiiing, windsurfing, trathalon, and swimming. however, there are some more unusual sports such as beach wrestling a game where wrestling is practiced in a swimming suit within a sand circle of 6m and consists of very simple rules. A match lasts three minutes and is refereed by a single referee.

Beach Kabaddi is another unusual game that will be played in Bali at the Asia Beach Games.  Beach Kabaddi is basically a combative sport, with four players on each side; played for a period of 15 minutes with a 5 minutes break (15-5-15). The core idea of the game is to score points by raiding into the opponent’s court and touching as many defence players as possible without getting caught on a single breath. One player, chanting Kabaddi!!! Kabaddi!!!! Kabaddi!!!! charges into the opponent court and tries to touch the opponent closest to him, while the four opponents make manoeuvres to catch the attacker. The players on the defensive side are called “Antis” while the player of the offence is called the “Raider”.The attack in Kabaddi is known as a ‘Raid’. This is Beach Kabaddi, the match of one against four which has all the ingredients of thrill, skill and dare. 

My tip for a great day of viewing would be the Dragon Boat Races I have my money on China to win! Anyone planning a trip to Bali should include in their itinerary a trip to see one of the varied beach events. For more information about the Asia Beach Games please visit the official website: www.bali2008.com

 

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