article several weeks ago, my colleague David Owen proposed switching several indoor sports such as volleyball

the whole point of the Winter Olympics to far too great a degree.However, after attending the Asian Beach

Games in Phuket last month, where beach cross country was a new inclusion on the continental programme

that athletes originally from the continent won the majority of the medals on the sand at the Asian Beach

Cross country was a huge success on the sand in Phuket at the Asian Beach Games ©Phuket 2014So while

By Nick ButlerBarbara Kendall turns and swivels around on her chair during our interview in Bangkok following an Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Athletes' Commission meeting."We've sent a questionnaire to every National Olympic Committee about the issues facing athletes today, but less than half have replied," she outlines, pausing for dramatic effect."But in Oceania, every single one has."

Vanuatu beach volleyball pairing Linline Matauatu (left) and Joyce Joshua have been one successful Oceanic

ImagesAs well as Kendall, the body contains representatives from all five continental associations: former volleyball

"You could actually have surfing right on the beach, with a grandstand," she says, the sheer idea clearly

Everyone else is really happy, with the location, the beach etc.

By Nick ButlerA first set of commemorative coins are being released by the Brazilian Central Bank today to mark the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

side, with the obverse showing locations where popular sports, including rowing, running, cycling and beach

volleyball, are played.

By Nick Butler on Karon Beach in PhuketThailand suffered a loss in the women's beach volleyball final

, the last event of the Asian Beach Games here this afternoon, but still rounded off their continental

11 silver and 21 bronze and South Korea with nine gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze.Iran and 2016 Asian Beach

as Iran defeated Pakistan, 40-27.India could only manage joint third place with Sri Lanka.That left beach

volleyball, the quintessential beach sport and therefore the perfect one to bring the curtain down on

skateboarder wows crowd to win "Best Trick" event at Phuket 2014November 2014: Iran and Kuwait win first Asian Beach

By Nick Butler on Karon Beach in PhuketKazakhstan took the men's water polo crown here on yet another

day at the Asian Beach Games in which the host nation were utterly and ruthlessly dominant.

emerged triumphant on the final day of water polo action taking place in the sea a few metres from the beach

fiftieth gold medal mark, and then a lot further.Thailand en route to one of two relay titles today in beach

athletics ©Phuket 2014All three beach athletics titles today were won by the host nation in red, white

on another superb day for the host nation ©Phuket 2014Indonesia will face Iran tomorrow in the men's beach

volleyball final, while it will be Kazakhstan against Thailand in the women's event.Action will also

By Nick Butler at the Holiday Inn Resort Hotel in PhuketA World Beach Games will provide a unique opportunity

a successful Resolution at last week's ANOC General Assembly in Bangkok, plans to launch the World Beach

 "For the Olympic Games, you have only beach volleyball at the moment and I think beach football

, handball, maybe 3x3 basketball will try to go there, but for other [beach sports] it will be really

difficult," he told insidethegames during the 4th Asian Beach Games currently taking place

 Sheikh Ahmad claimed the World Beach Games would occupy a unique place in the calendar."

in PhuketWith a cascade of fireworks, a blaze of colour and a smattering of sand, the fourth Asian Beach

the rest of the evening, with even the weather seemingly respectful of an event that, with the World Beach

Games Flame was lit by Thailand's beach volleyball stars Varapatsorn Radarong and Tanarattha Udomchavee

Games, admits MinisterNovember 2014: OCA official reminds NOCs to respect "importance" of Asian Beach

GamesNovember 2014: Turkmenistan sambo player wins first gold medal of Asian Beach GamesOctober 2014

: Asia should take credit for boom in beach games, claims OCA honorary life vice-president

By Nick Butler at the Karon Central Beach Volleyball venue in PhuketDealing with heavy rain and strong

tides has been a major challenge ahead of the Asian Beach Games, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and

This came shortly before Thailand added two more gold medals to its tally today, with the men's beach

We also stand a chance of landing the overall titles in the 4th Asian Beach Games on home soil.

GamesNovember 2014: Turkmenistan sambo player wins first gold medal of Asian Beach GamesOctober 2014

: Asian Beach Games an opportunity to boost tourism in Phuket, claims Thai Sports MinisterOctober 2014

: Asia should take credit for boom in beach games, claims OCA honorary life vice-president

By Emily GoddardThe Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) has launched a lottery project to help raise money to help send the country's athletes to the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby.

, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, rugby sevens, triathlon, touch rugby, va'a, indoor and beach

volleyball and weightlifting.Chef De Mission Cathy Wong, who will also lead the team at the Rio 2016

awarding of next year's winners, the Ceremony is set to grow and grow.The second event is the World Beach

Coming out of the shadow of the Asian Beach Games, and with an exciting blend of established and less

2015 ANOC General Assembly in Washington D.C., so we can expect this to all be resolved soon.The Asian Beach

in 2010 and taking place for a fourth time in Phuket next week, is the inspiration behind the World Beach

, and voiced his opinions on a range of other issues, from the woman jailed in Iran for attending a volleyball

By Paul OsborneThe head coach of Switzerland's national women's ice hockey team, René Kammerer, has been presented with the Swiss Olympic Lifetime Coach Award for his contribution to the team over the past decade.

ImagesSwiss Orienteering coach Patrik Thoma was presented with the award for youth individual sports, while beach

volleyball coach Kurt Brunner won the award for youth team sports.Björn Bruhin, head coach of the Swiss

By Nick ButlerHong Kong will be represented by a 126-strong delegation at next month's Asian Beach Games

These sports range from muay thai, water skiing and woodball and the beach varieties of handball, water

the more established disciplines of marathon swimming, sailing, windsurfing, squash, triathlon and beach

volleyball. 

to improve upon the total haul of 12 medals, of which three were gold, won across the three previous Beach

games, claims OCA honorary life vice-presidentJune 2014: Phuket 2014 Asian Beach Games host Chefs de

By Paul OsborneManly Beach in Sydney will once again become a host venue for the Australian Beach Volleyball

The announcement comes after two years of discussions between Volleyball Australia and Manly Council.The

volleyball venue ©Getty ImagesVolleyball Australia revealed Manly Beach will become a Tour event for

the next three years after setting the calendar for the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour for this period.It

As well as hosting the opening round of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour, it will also be the venue

for the Oceania Championships and the Oceania Continental Cup Olympic qualifiers.The 10-day beach volleyball

By Mike RowbottomThe pole bearing the Azerbaijan flag, set at the shoreline of a city known as the Pearl of the Caspian, is a testament to a young nation's high ambition. When it was constructed, this pole - at 162 metres - was the tallest in the world (a distinction now claimed by neighbouring Tajhikistan which duly installed a version that is three metres higher). Its flag is the size of a football pitch.This expansive symbol of a country which celebrated 23 years of independence from the Soviet Union yesterday (October 18) stands just along the seafront from a huge...

Of those 20 sports, 16 are Olympic sports, with the others being basketball 3x3, beach soccer, karate

exercise.Across the way from the Aquatics Centre work goes on to create the venues for water polo, beach

volleyball and football.The National Gymnastics Centre, on the other side of the road to the apartments

The Crystal Hall - venue for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest - merely requires adaption to host volleyball

By Mike Rowbottom in BakuThe committment of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva to next year's inaugural European Games here has been underlined by their visit to the Olympic Stadium, which is under construction as the impending event's centrepiece.

constant to complete other venues such as the main Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the facilities for beach

volleyball, beach football and water polo.Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]