Sheikh Ahmad Hails Asia's Hosting Prowess -- On the Scene

(ATR) Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah says Asia’s position in the Olympic world has reached new heights after Beijing's 2022 bid victory.

Convening the OCAexecutive board in Ashgabat, Turkmenistanfor the first time since Beijing secured the Winter Olympics in August, providing Asia with three successive Games, Sheikh Ahmad said the continent was showing its capability to be the "best continent to host international sport".

He told board members that Asia’s sporting reputation will be enhanced by having Beijing as the first city to host both the summer and winter Games. The OCA chief also commended the Chinese capital for successfully staging last month’s IAAF World Athletics Championships.

Discussing Beijing’s narrow victory over Almaty - 44 votes to 40 - he praised the Kazakh city for its excellent presentation in Kuala Lumpur, noting that many members of the bid team garnered much of their experience at the OCA.

Sheikh Ahmad reminded the OCA's top officials that the Games will be passed from "South America to Asia and not to Europe", when the Rio 2016 Games conclude and the torch goes to Tokyo 2020, noting that the "tradition of the Games has been changed".

Ahmad opened the meeting at the Olimpiya Hotel in Ashgabat on Tuesday morning about five hours prior to the start of the 34th OCA General Assembly. At the official opening, he was accompanied by the president of Turkmenistan, Gurgbanguly Berdimuhamedov, in welcoming Asian sport leaders.

At the top of the executive board meeting, Sheikh Ahmad warmly welcomed Robin Mitchell of Fiji, president of the Oceania National Olympic Committees. For the first time at an OCA executive board and general assembly, representatives from nearly 20 Oceania NOCs have been invited to join the 45 Asian NOC member nations.

OCA secretary general Raja Randhir Singh delivered his final report, which was more of a thank you to his fellow confederationmembers, as he is stepping down from the position after 24 years.

Sheikh Ahmad, who has been side-by-side with Singh since he became OCA president in 1991, thanked the Indian IOC member for his years of service and requested he become an honorary lifetime vice-president, a proposal which won unanimous support.

"It’s been a long journey and we’ve worked together as brothers, friends and colleagues and I think OCA has come a long way and established ourselves as a major organization," Singh told Around the Rings.

Singh said he never imagined that Asia would have the opportunity to host consecutiveOlympic Games when he was elected to the position more than two decades ago.

"It’s a great honor and it shows the confidence that the rest of the Olympic family has in us to organize a good Games. I think the credit also goes to the OCA to a certain degree to the way we’ve hosted and organized the Asian Games," he said.

"It’s really looking up for us."

The OCA confirmed that the secretary general position will be abolished.

Singh said the OCA wants to follow the IOC system where there is a director general but not a secretary general.

The EB members also heard a brief report on the 2016 DaNang, Vietnam Beach Games. A short, but inspirational video was shown introducing the pristine beaches and waters of the Vietnamese coastal city which will host the fifth edition of the Asian Beach Games, Sept. 23 to Oct. 4 next year.

In other news, Iran and Afghanistan were approved to move regions to the OCA central zone.

The OCA general assembly in the Turkmenistan capital concludes on Wednesday.

Reported in Ashgabat by Brian Pinelli

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