| I South Asian Beach Games | |
| Size: | 250px |
| Host City: | Hambantota, Sri Lanka |
| Nations: | 8 |
| Athletes: | 359[1] |
| Events: | 26 in 10 Sports |
| Opening: | 8 October |
| Closing: | 14 October |
| Opened By: | President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Stadium: | Hambantota Beach Stadium |
| Motto: | "Our sun to shine on you" |
The 1st South Asian Beach Games was held in Hambantota, Sri Lanka between 8 and 14 October 2011. The opening ceremony was held at the Hambantota Beach Stadium, located in Hambantota district. 359 athletes from eight South Asian nations were competed.[1]
Sri Lankan bid for Hambantota was selected over bids of Bangladesh and the Maldives by the South Asian National Olympic Committees in a unanimous decision.[2]
The logo was launched on 20 January 2011 in Galle.[3] The Mascot represents a character called "Salu Paaliya" which is one of the 12 Palis. Palis are characters which represents various dance forms. It is believed that the "Salu Paaliya" has comical actions and the power to heal which is ideal for the Beach Games as the Mascot.[4]
Marathon swimming and sailing were to be contested in Arugam Bay while the remaining sports were contested in Hambantota. However, later organizers decided to move the events closer locations, Tangalle and Tissamaharama. 26 events in 10 sports were held.[5] Triathlon and beach bodybuilding were dropped from the program due to a lack of participants.
A total of eight countries participated at the 2011 South Asian Beach Games.
This is the schedule of events for the 2011 South Asian Beach Games.[5]
| OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Event finals | CC | Closing ceremony |
| October | 8th Sat | 9th Sun | 10th Mon | 11th Tue | 12th Wed | 13th Thu | 14th Fri | Events | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies | bgcolor=#00cc33 align=center | OC | bgcolor=#ee3333 align=center | CC | ||||||||||
| 3-on-3 basketball< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 10 --> | ●< | -- 11 --> | 2< | -- 12 --> | 2 | ||||||
| Beach football< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 9 --> | ●< | -- 10 --> | 1< | -- 11 --> | 1 | ||||||
| Beach handball< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 12 --> | ●< | -- 13 --> | 1< | -- 14 --> | 1 | ||||||
| Beach kabbadi< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 10 --> | ●< | -- 11 --> | 2< | -- 12 --> | 2 | ||||||
| Beach netball< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 13 --> | ●< | -- 14 --> | 1< | -- T --> | 1 | ||||||
| Beach volleyball< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 10 --> | ●< | -- 11 --> | ●< | -- 12 --> | ●< | -- 13 --> | 2< | -- 14 --> | 2 | ||
| Lifesaving< | -- 8 --> | 3< | -- 12 --> | 3< | -- 13 --> | 6 | ||||||||
| Marathon swimming< | -- 8 --> | 2< | -- 11 --> | 2 | ||||||||||
| Tent pegging< | -- 8 --> | 2< | -- 10 --> | 2< | -- 11 --> | 2< | -- 13 --> | 2< | -- 14 --> | 8 | ||||
| Windsurfing< | -- 8 --> | ●< | -- 10 --> | ●< | -- 11 --> | ●< | -- 12 --> | 1< | -- 13 --> | 1 | ||||
| Total Events< | -- 8 --> | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 26 | ||||||
| Cumulative total< | -- 8 --> | 2 | 7 | 14 | 20 | 25 | 26 | |||||||
| October | 8th Sat | 9th Sun | 10th Mon | 11th Tue | 12th Wed | 13th Thu | 14th Fri | Events | ||||||
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