COLOMBO, Oct. 12 -- The Maldives is to host the second South Asian Beach Games in 2013, the South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) said on Wednesday.

The decision had been made at the SAOC which met at Hambantota, southern coastal city of Sri Lanka where the inaugural South Asian Beach Games is now in progress.

Hemasiri Fernando, president of Sri Lanka National Olympic Committee and also an executive member of the SAOC, told Xinhua that all representatives of SAOC met in Sri Lanka has unanimously decided to hold the next South Asian Beach Games in the Maldives.

The games will be held in 2013 and the Maldives will decide the dates, according to Fernando.

Senior Vice President of Indian Olympic Association, J.S. Gehlot, has officially announced the selection of Maldives as the next venue of South Asian Beach Games.

The total number of sports in the second edition are also to be decided later.

Bodybuilding and triathlon had to be removed from the scheduled 12 sports due to lack of participation among the eight South Asian nations.

The first South Asian Beach Games was originally to be held in the Maldives but on the request of Sri Lanka it was shifted to Hambatota, the tsunami hit coastal city which is also bidding for 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Sri Lanka is bidding against Australia' s Gold Coast to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

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