A New Year message from Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, President of ANOC

2014 was an historic year for ANOC.

The XIX ANOC General Assembly in November in Bangkok was a fitting culmination to an unforgettable year. The biggest in our 35-year history, the Assembly attracted representatives from 203 NOCs, over 40 IOC members, 14 International Federations, SportAccord, Olympic sponsors and many other key Olympic stakeholders and served as a reminder of the importance of the role of the NOCs in the Olympic Movement.

I was humbled by the NOCs at the General Assembly as I was re-elected as ANOC President for a four-year term. One of my first duties was the honour of hosting the first ANOC Gala Awards Dinner. The evening was a spectacular celebration of NOC diversity and gave us the opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of NOCs and their inspiring athletes for the very first time. Some of the very best athletes from London 2012 and Sochi 2014 were in Bangkok to receive their ANOC Awards in front of the world’s top media. The event was broadcast live with a potential reach of 350 million households worldwide reflecting the truly global nature of the event.

In the months leading up to the ANOC General Assembly we made excellent progress in honouring the commitment I made when I became President in 2012 to reform and modernise our organisation. The creation of our nine Commissions and Working Groups at the end of 2013 ensured that we hit the ground running as we entered into the New Year.

During the course of 2014 we saw the launch of our new, dynamic ANOC logo; the introduction of a more interactive, user-friendly ANOC website; the creation of new Facebook and Twitter accounts; and we moved into our new headquarters in the Olympic capital, Lausanne.

We now enter into 2015 stronger and more united than ever on the back of an exceptionally successful year. However, this year is set to be even more exciting, not just for ANOC and the NOCs but for the entire Olympic Movement.

In Bangkok, our Commissions and Working Groups presented their action plans which will be implemented throughout 2015 as we look to create a brighter future for our NOCs and their athletes. Washington will host the XX General Assembly at the end of the year and the second ANOC Gala Awards which will look to build on the success of the first edition. Discussions will also continue to advance for the first World Beach Games.

Under IOC President Thomas Bach’s leadership, ANOC will work with the world’s NOCs to ensure that their voice is heard as the unanimously approved recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020 are implemented. The NOCs have supported President Bach’s initiative from day one and will continue to do so over the coming months and years.

We look forward to working closely with you throughout 2015.

Happy New Year!

ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah

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