OCA Conducts First TD Meeting for 18th Asian Games 2018

The Olympic Council of Asia took a big step on the road to the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia next year by conducting the first meeting of Technical Delegates in Jakarta on Saturday, March 4.

In cooperation with the organising committee INASGOC, the OCA outlined the duties and responsibilities of the Technical Delegates in terms of running the various disciplines on the sports programme.

The meeting was attended by 180 delegates, including Technical Delegates from Asian and International Sports Federations, venue managers, competition managers and organising committee members.

The OCA’s Honorary Life Vice President, Mr Wei Jizhong, welcomed the delegates on behalf of the OCA President, HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, and said the Asian Games had its own characteristics compared to the Olympic Games and Asian Championships.

"The Asian Games has special features," he said.

"The Asian Games is not like the Olympic Games. We have the Olympic sports, including the five new sports added to the programme for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and we have non-Olympic sports. Also, the Asian Games is not an edition of the Asian Sports Championships because we have different laws."

The OCA’s 18th Asian Games will run from August 18 to September 2, 2018, in Jakarta and Palembang, capital of South Sumatra, and Mr Wei asked the Technical Delegates to pay attention to the international sports calendar to ensure the best Asian athletes would compete in Indonesia.

He also informed them that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would have an ad-hoc division during the Asian Games to resolve any disputes.

The Director of the OCA’s Asian Games department, Mr Haider Farman, said the organisers faced many challenges as two different cities would be hosting the 18th Asiad, with 10 sports set to take place at Palembang – a one-hour flight from Jakarta.

"We have had this experience with other Games and we managed it successfully thanks to the spirit of teamwork," he said.

Mr Farman briefed the delegates on the eligibility of athletes, entry deadlines and sports regulations, and said the prestige of the Asian Games was such that other continental games followed the OCA model.

With 42 sports, 59 disciplines and around 500 events, Mr Farman said the 18th Asiad would be the biggest in history and that the key to a successful Games would be to control and supervise all the disciplines with the help of the Technical Delegates.

"We want to make it a landmark for the future," he added. "We are creating a sustainable event and a good platform for our athletes. When they come here they will see that everything has been done in order for them to perform at their best. We are nothing without the athletes."

The Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Gatot S. Dewabroto, said the President, HE Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, had instructed all the government ministries to accelerate their preparations. He assured the delegates that all renovation and development would be completed by the end of October.

Organisers informed the delegates that test events for 10 sports would be held from October 23 to November 8 2017: archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, football, pencak silat, taekwondo, volleyball and weightlifting. All events will feature 10 National Olympic Committees apart from football with eight teams.

There will be four venue clusters for the 18th Asian Games, including the main hub at the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex in downtown Senayan and at Jakabaring Sports City in Palembang. The other two are the Jakarta Cluster and the Jakarta Suburbs Cluster.

The second Technical Delegates meeting is planned for August.

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