The Thai national team finished in 2nd place, winning 10 gold medals at the 6th Asian Beach Games “Sanya 2026,” while host China took first place with 24 gold medals. Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), expressed satisfaction with the runner-up position, as the goal was to stay in the top 3 despite missing the 15 gold medal target. He plans to use the athletes’ results, data, and statistics to further develop the team for the 20th Asian Games scheduled for September 2026 in Japan.
On 30 April 2026, Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), revealed that the Thai national team earned 10 gold, 9 silver, and 9 bronze medals at the 6th Asian Beach Games “Sanya 2026” held in Sanya, People's Republic of China, finishing second overall. The result is considered satisfactory as the team met its goal of being in the top 3 before the competition, despite falling short of the 15 gold medal target.
The SAT Governor added that several sports deserve commendation, including beach athletics, teqball, sailing (windsurfing and kiteboarding), dragon boat racing, and beach volleyball, which all achieved gold medals. Some sports earned silver and bronze medals, which is somewhat regrettable, but the experience gained will be used to improve. Overall, the results can be built upon for the upcoming 20th Asian Games from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
“This time, we did not focus solely on the number of medals. Above all, the experience gained and testing the athletes’ physical strength were important. Some sports may have familiar names but different rules or competition formats. However, this gave Thai athletes a platform to compete against Asia’s top nations. Many sports at the Asian Beach Games involve the same athletes as the Asian Games. Training camps will continue until the Asian Games. The SAT will analyze all results, data, and statistics from the Asian Beach Games to enhance and strengthen the Thai team,” said Dr. Kongsak.
The 6th Asian Beach Games “Sanya 2026,” held from 22 to 30 April 2026 in Sanya, People's Republic of China, concluded on 30 April 2026. The Thai team, with 176 athletes competing in all 14 sports, won 10 gold, 9 silver, and 9 bronze medals, finishing second in the medal standings. China, the host nation, led the table with 24 gold, 18 silver, and 13 bronze medals, while Iran took third place with 9 gold and 1 silver medal.
Thailand’s 10 gold, 9 silver, and 9 bronze medals came from beach athletics (3 gold, 1 silver), teqball (3 gold), sailing (windsurfing and kiteboarding) with 2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze, dragon boat racing (1 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze), beach volleyball (1 gold, 1 bronze), 3x3 basketball (1 silver, 1 bronze), beach handball (2 bronze), water polo (1 bronze), and jujitsu (1 bronze). The 7th Asian Beach Games will take place in Cebu, Philippines, in 2028.