TEHRAN - Mahdi Alinejad, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Iran, said that they have participated in the 2026 Asian Beach Games to send a message that the Iranian people support peace and unity in the continent.

Not even a grueling trip of more than two days, violent disruption to their preparations and the heavy weight of concern for families back home could stop Iran's athletes from making their presence felt at the 2026 Asian Beach Games.

Their appearance in the coastal city of Sanya in South China's Hainan province, against long odds, has sent a strong message to the world.

"We think we should be here to show everybody that Iran is alive," Alinejad told China Daily on the sand while celebrating his country's opening win over the United Arab Emirates in the men's beach soccer on Thursday.

"We want to let everybody see that our athletes can compete. We want to come here to show that we support the peace and unity on our continent."

Despite life-threatening challenges caused by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which have brought severe damage to Iran's infrastructure, the country sent a 57-athlete delegation on a larger-than-sport journey that started two weeks ago, beginning with several bus rides that took more than 20 hours to travel from Tehran across the border to Ashkhabad, the capital of neighboring Turkmenistan.

From there, the athletes boarded a flight to Beijing, which involved another transfer of over six hours, before their connecting flight took off for Sanya, a destination new to most of the delegation.

The Iranians are contesting 10 out of the total 14 sports disciplines in Sanya, where the country's men's 2024 Beach Soccer World Cup third-place team, its two-time Asian Beach Games champion kabaddi squad and world-class beach volleyball team are among the favorites for their respective titles at the seaside sporting gala.

Preparation, however, has been far from ideal, due to the destruction of their original training base by an airstrike, and the logistical issues caused by the conflict.

Even having made it to Sanya safely, their thoughts remain at home, at times, with the gut-wrenching knowledge that every minute competing on the sand here is a moment away from families and friends who cannot escape the drums of war.

"It changed everything in our country, and changed our plan (for preparing for these Games)," Alinejad said of the conflict, which began exactly 40 days before the delegation's planned trip to Sanya.

"During the war, especially in Tehran, we couldn't train. So, we set up camps in the safest regions of Iran, such as the north near the Caspian Sea and in the east. It was completely different from before, but we tried to do our best," he said.

"Then, there were no flights from Iran, and, then, we had a problem with the delivery of the (Games') ID cards, because there is no postal (service) available.

"Also, just about all of the facilities we should've had to prepare for this event, we suffered a problem with all of them. It was very difficult for us, but all of us are really happy that we are here, and really are proud of our teams," he said.

"You can see the quality of Iranian teams, in kabaddi, beach volleyball and beach soccer. And all of them, regardless of the bombing, have prepared themselves, and they came here to show their performance and also their courage."

A sentiment echoed by Alinejad: "Now we are here, and soaking up the sporting atmosphere, we can relieve some of the injury in our souls."

"By participating, we want to send a message that the Iranian people support peace, follow the rules, and support unity in our continent," he added.