PR83231

HAIKOU, China, March. 10, 2020 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/ --

The 6th Asian Beach Games, due to take place from November 28 to December 6 in

Sanya, China, will be held as scheduled, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said on Sunday.

The OCA confirmed in an email to all of its 45 NOC members that the Olympic

Council of Asia and Chinese sports authorities are preparing "full steam ahead"

for the Asian Beach Games to be held in Sanya at the end of this year.

"The OCA has been in regular contact with the Chinese Olympic Committee and the

organizing committee of the Sanya Asian Beach Games since the outbreak of the

coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wuhan, central China," read the OCA email.

According to local health authorities on Sunday, the last patient infected with

COVID-19 in Sanya has been cured and discharged from hospital.

"This is encouraging news for the OCA, for our 45 National Olympic Committees

and, of course, for the people of Sanya city and Hainan province," said the OCA

Director General, Husain Al-Musallam.

"We have been coordinating very closely for several weeks with the Chinese

Olympic Committee and the local organizing committee and we are delighted to

hear that Sanya is now free of the coronavirus, with no cases."

"We would like to praise and congratulate the central government, the

provincial government and the municipal government for the way they have

contained and controlled COVID-19 since the outbreak."

"As far as the OCA is concerned it is now full steam ahead. We will continue to

support our partners in China and work shoulder to shoulder in the coming weeks

and months," he added.

Sanya has reported no new confirmed cases for 25 consecutive days. As of March 8,

Sanya had 54 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1 death, and 53 discharged cases.

Source: OCA