OCA President praises Oman's successful health protocols for General Assembly

The President of the Olympic Council of Asia, His Excellency Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, has complimented the government of Oman for the high levels of safety measures and health protocols in place for the OCA visit to Muscat this week.

The OCA conducted an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday ahead of the 39th General Assembly on Wednesday and the OCA President was full of praise for the organisation of the meetings.

"I would like to start by thanking the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the government of Oman and the President of the Oman Olympic Committee, Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad Al Busaidi, for their full support of the visit of the OCA to this beautiful city and country," Sheikh Ahmad said.

"They have made everyone feel so welcome and comfortable in this new environment and have been very cooperative and helpful in all the steps required to host such a big meeting in these difficult times of the coronavirus pandemic.

"They insisted from the start that the health and safety of all the guests and visitors, as well as the local people, was the top priority from the minute of arrival to the minute of departure, and this task has been completed very successfully.

"I believe the conditions that have been established in Oman for the visit of the OCA can be a model for other countries and sports organisations to adopt as the world recovers from the pandemic.

"The OCA appreciates and thanks His Majesty the Sultan, the government, the Oman Olympic Committee and everyone connected with the hosting of these meetings for their guidance and cooperation."

The General Assembly and Executive Board meetings were attended in person by 667 representatives from National Olympic Committees, Asian Games bidding cities Doha and Riyadh, International Federations and Asian Federations and other stakeholders and partners in the Olympic movement.

Conditions varied greatly within the five zones of the OCA, and delegates of National Olympic Committees who were unable to travel, notably from East Asia and South East Asia, were able to follow the proceedings online and take part in the vote for the 2030 Asian Games host city.

The Oman government imposed several protocols to protect against Covid-19 for the delegates travelling to Muscat.

Prior to travel, delegates had to register in the Tarassud app developed by the Ministry of Health for use in Android and iPhone devices.

They also had to take a nucleic test 72 hours before travel and another test on arrival at Oman Airport. The results were delivered within 12 hours.

The final test was conducted in the hotel before delegates began the journey home and was free of charge, courtesy of the Oman government. The test was fast and accurate, and the government had prepared an isolation unit in case of any positive tests.

Sheikh Ahmad concluded: "The management and implementation of these Covid-19 countermeasures were of the highest quality and proved to be very successful for all the visitors and hosts.

"I would like to thank the Oman Olympic Committee for hosting this big and historic event and for cooperating and liaising with the authorities in Oman and also with the OCA for the past few months. We congratulate them on their successful mission."

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