2018, 2020 Olympic Inspires Effort to Help Athletes

(ATR) With Asia hosting the 2018 and 2020 Olympics, sport leaders joined forces to open dialogues about the continent’s sporting role at the 2014 International Sport Relation foundation Forum on Monday.

South Korean IOC member, and iSR President, Dae-Sung Moon organized the forum, which brought together IOC, Olympic Council of Asia, and National Olympic Committees and other officials.

"I want to spread this project in Asia, to help the many athletes and support them," Moon told Around the Rings.

Moon said that helping athletes receive assistance and job training, whether they are Olympians or just living in developing countries, is at the heart of the iSR Foundation.

"We will ask the NOCs to recommend athletes to come to Korea to study here for one year and then they will return to their country and then they can get get a job."

Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah echoed Moon’s sentiment during his opening speech at the Forum.

"The future for them will be as a coach or in the technical side of sport, but for the majority of athletes it will be out to normal life," Sheikh Ahmad said.

"I hope this Foundation will be supportive, through government and the Olympic movement, of retiring athletes. We believe this is the future of the loyal and appreciated former players."

The forum then created an open dialogue in two panels--"Contemporary Issues on the Olympic Movement in Asia" and "Future of the Olympic Movement in Asia."

During the first panel, IOC Member Rita Subowo of Indonesia spoke about how promoting the Olympic movement could help prevent conflict in the region, and that many countries lack necessary facilities to help promote youth sports on a large scale.

Japanese IOC Member Tsunekazu Takeda gave a presentation on the perseverance required for the Japanese NOC to land the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

During a question and answer session, Takeda said, the future is bright for sport in Asia

"Asia is improving very much," he responded.

"I think it is very difficult to compare to other continents, but I believe and now the Asian Olympic Movement is going the right way."

No consensus was reached relating to specifically what needs to be done for the Olympic Movement in Asia, The goal of the conference was to begin dialogue ahead of the 2018 and 2020 Olympics.

"I will do my best and help young people, as you know sport can bring the peace and hope and this is very dear to me," Moon said.

"I want to spread this project in Asia and then other continents."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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