(ATR) Leaders of the world’s national Olympic Committees are arriving in Moscow for their biennial general assembly – led for the first time in 30 years by a new president.
After the sudden resignation last month of Mario Vazquez Rana as president, the ANOC assembly is expected to be led by Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah, currently president of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Kuwait NOC.
After leading ANOC since 1979, Vazquez Rana resigned in March instead of facing off with Ahmad and other ANOC leaders pushing for a change in leadership. Vazquez Rana, who turns 80 in June, must retire from his seat on the IOC, but was not required to relinquish his ANOC post for another two years.
Vazquez Rana, who created ANOC in 1979, is not expected to attend the Moscow meeting,
The ANOC Executive Council meets Tuesday to review the changes to the group’s leadership and on Thursday, the entire assembly will be asked to approve Ahmad to fill the two years remaining in the presidential term.
The assembly will last four days at the World Trade Center, replete with reports from organizing committees for upcoming Olympic Games in London, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro and PyeongChang.
On April 14, the five cities seeking the 2020 Summer Games will make 10-minute presentations to the ANOC assembly, the first international campaigning forthe bids. Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo are the contenders, each of them aiming to make a positive impression ahead of an IOC vote May 23 that could cut cities from the last year of the race. The final choice will be made in September 2013.
The assembly wraps up April 15, but is to be followed by a two-day World Sport Convention, a gathering of the world’s sport ministers founded two years ago by Vazquez Rana at the last ANOC meetingheld in Acapulco.
While some 90 ministers are said to be coming for the convention, ATR is told that far fewer than that are expected. British minister of sport Hugh Robertson is among those who are confirmed to attend.
The last day of the meeting is April 17, which will include a joint session with the ANOC assembly and the IOC Executive Board.
IOC president Jacques Rogge will now attend the opening of the assembly on Thursday. ATR is told by an ANOC council member that Rogge’s presence at the ceremonial opening can be seen as an affirmation of the sudden changes which have taken place with the ANOC leadership.
Upwards of 205 NOCs are expected in Moscow this week.
Written and reported by Ed Hula
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