By Duncan Mackay

At least 23 sports will be included in the first World Beach Games, a joint venture between SportAccord and the Association of National Olympic Committees, when it is launched next year ©SportAccordApril 3 - American football, cheerleading, dragon boat racing, flying disc, minigolf and sport fishing are among the sports set to be included in the inaugural World Beach Games, which is expected to make its debut on the international calendar next year.


They are among 23 sports being lined up to be included on the programme it has been revealed today by Marius Vizer, President of SportAccord, whose initiative the World Beach Games are.

The event, details of which were exclusively revealed by insidethegames last October, is set to be held in association with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).

Vizer held meetings with ANOC in Kuwait City earlier this week and the event is expected to be officially confirmed after their next Executive Council meeting, which is due to be held in Lausanne on July 7.

More details of the proposed dates and venues are also set to be revealed then. 

"It was a great honour for me, as President of SportAccord, to be present in Kuwait during the Association of National Olympic Committees Executive Council meeting; a highly important event for the Olympic Movement and for sport in general," said Vizer.

"I had the privilege of participating, together with the ANOC leaders, in a joint meeting, where one of the subjects discussed was the World Beach Games.

"In the past the World Beach Games, a SportAccord brand and multi-sports games event, was just an idea.

"Today, with the concept registered and finalised by SportAccord and the International Federations, it has become a tangible project.

"SportAccord is particularly grateful to the IFs who collaborated so intensively and assiduously over the last few months to finalise the event programme."

Indonesia celebrate one of their three victories in dragon boat racing at the 2012 Asian Beach Games in Haiyang ©OCAIndonesia celebrate one of their three victories in dragon boat racing at the 2012 Asian Beach Games in Haiyang ©OCA

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, President of ANOC, is an enthusiastic supporter of the beach games concept.

As President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Sheikh Ahmad has pioneered the concept.

This year's Asian Games, due to be held in Phuket, Thailand, will be the fourth edition since they made their debut in Bali in 2008.

With relatively low expenditure due to the temporary venues and natural resources of sand and sea already in place, coupled with high potential for tourism and promotion, the hope is that the World Beach Games will attract worldwide attention and quickly establish itself as a fixture on the international calendar.

The eclectic range of events proposed should also give the event a unique feeling and also provide a rare opportunity for some of the minor sports to shine on the international stage and raise some much needed funds to help them develop their programmes. 

The World Beach Games programme full list of sports already confirmed for the programme are American football, aquatics, boules, canoe, cheerleading, dragon boat, flying disc, football, handball, life saving, minigolf, motorcycle, powerboat, rowing, rugby, sailing, sport fishing, sub-aquatics, surfing, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, and waterski/wakeboard.

Other sports may also be included on the programme. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
March 2014: World Beach Games details to be unveiled in July
January 2014: Asian success will pave the way for World Beach Games, predicts Sheikh Ahmad
October 2013: Exclusive - World Beach Games to be launched in 2015 by SportAccord and ANOC