OCA urges communication and cooperation for smooth running of games

Communication and cooperation were the key words for the National Olympic Committees from South,South East and East Asia as the Olympic Council of Asia/Olympic Solidarity Regional Forum came to a close in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon.

After the NOC delegates were given detailed briefings on a series of multi-sport games in 2016, 2017 and 2018, OCA representative Mr Haider Farman urged the NOCs to keep communicating and cooperating with games organising committees in order to ensure the smooth participation and running of the events.

"I want to thank everybody for their participation here, and the presentations by the games organising committees concludes the annual Regional Forum," he said.

"I wish you to keep in contact with each other, with the OCA and with Olympic Solidarity, with Rio 2016 and with all the organising committees of our Asian games to help you in your preparations."

Around 100 delegates from NOCs, organising committees and other stakeholders attended the forum, the second half of which will be held in Doha, Qatar, for NOCs from West and Central Asia later this week.

The NOCs heard progress reports from organisers of:

*Rio Olympic Games in August 2016;

*5th Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam, in September/October2016;

*8th Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, in February 2017;

*3rd Asian Youth Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November 2017;

*18th Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang in August/September 2018;

*6th Children of Asia International Sport Games at Yakutsk, Russian Federation, in July 2016.

Although the Children of Asia Games is not an OCA event, the OCA President, HE Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, is a keen supporter and urges the Asian NOCs to enter.

This year’s event will be held from July 5-17 and marks the20th anniversary of the first Children of Asia Games in 1996.

With 22 sports and around 30 disciplines and 300 events on the programme, the sixth edition has attracted a record 46 teams from 38countries - twice as many as the fifth games in 2012. Organisers are expecting two more teams to confirm their entry, taking the total to 40 NOCs.

"This is a record, and this is what we were aiming for,"said Mr Farman. "I hope at the end we reach all 45 NOCs in Asia."

The welcome speech was given by Mr Pongpanu Svetarundra,Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Transport and Sport of the Royal Thai Government. He said the forum would help to promote the development of sport throughout the continent and enhance Thailand’s reputation as an international sports hub.

Representing the IOC Olympic Solidarity, Mr Edward Kensington said the focus of this year’s forums was final preparations for Rio 2016 and the various OCA games. "This forum completes the cycle from 2013-2016 organised in the framework of the Olympic Solidarity World Programme," he said.

*In other news, the Danang Asian Beach Games Organising Committee reported that 37 NOCs had entered 3,000 athletes, and the OCA urged the remaining eight NOCs to submit their entries.

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