Official Newsletter of the Olympic Council of Asia Edition 20 - March 2013 YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES OCA builds for a bright future OCA Youth Camp 2013 - Taekwondo OCA Youth Reporter Project 2nd Asian Youth Games update Contents Inside your 32-page Sporting Asia 8 3 OCA President’s Message OCA President’s No. 2 ranking Sporting Asia is the official newsletter of the Olympic 4 - 9 News Digest Council of Asia, published quarterly. 4 Lausanne Latest 5 IOC Trophy 2012 Executive Editor / Director General Husain Al-Musallam 6 Tokyo 2020 delivers Olympic bid file [email protected] 7 NOCs’ Exchange and Cooperation Art Director / IT Manager Amer Elalami 15 8 Sports Federations round-up [email protected] 9 IOC President visits Asia Director, Int’l & NOC Relations Vinod Tiwari 10 - 11 Inside the OCA [email protected] 10 OCA International Relations Committee, Asia in Director, Asian Games Department WADA, OS/OCA Forums Haider A. Farman [email protected] 11 OCA Youth Camp, OCA Fun Run + Learn, Honour for OCA EB member Charles Lo Editor Jeremy Walker 16 12 - 13 NOC Elections around Asia [email protected] 14 - 19 Chefs de Mission Seminar for 2md Executive Secretary Asian Youth Games, Nanjing 2013 Nayaf Sraj [email protected] 14 Importance of AYG to OCA Media Manager 15 Wei Jizhong – Asia’s Master Chef (de Mission) Jian Zhou [email protected] 16 - 17 Postcards from Nanjing - Photo Special Graphic Designer 18 Nanjing Notice Board Abdul Muneem Khan 22 [email protected] 19 OCA + AYG = CEP Olympic Council of Asia 20 - 22 Chefs de Mission Seminar for 4th PO Box 6706, Hawalli AIMAG, Incheon 2013 Zip Code 32042 Kuwait 20 New era for OCA Telephone: +965 25717196 Fax: +965 25734973 Home from home for athletes Email: [email protected] 21 Website: www.ocasia.org 22 Delegates visit Incheon sports and leisure fair 23 Games Update: 17th Asian Games, 26 Incheon 2014 24 Women and Sport: Awards, Seminars Front cover: 25 - 30 Six pages of News and Sport from 45 NOCs Taekwondo will be the focus 31 Obituary of the OCA’s Asian Youth Camp in 2013. 32 OCA Diary, OCA Sponsors’ Club Page 02 President’s Message CELEBRATING THE OLYMPIC VALUES IN 2013 he Olympic Council of Asia - and the Olympic Movement in general - is about much T more than sport. It is about bringing people together; it is about tolerance and respect; and it is about cooperation and striving to build a better, more harmonious world through our young athletes, sports leaders and volunteers. This is why the coming year will be of great significance to everyone connected with the Olym- pic Council of Asia, as it offers two major OCA multi-sport games plus a host of other meetings and events throughout our five zones. The 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Incheon, Korea, from June 29 to July 6 will serve as a high-profile test event for the 17th Asian Games the following year. The Asian sports family will need to work together at Incheon 2013 to ensure a smooth and successful Asian Games in 2014 and provide the best conditions for the athletes and officials. In August we will hold our second Asian Youth Games in the beautiful and historical city of Nanjing, China. Just like our inaugural AYG in Singapore in 2009, the Nanjing AYG will set the scene for the IOC’s Youth Olympic Games the following year. These two youth festivals in Nanjing will provide a wonderful opportunity for the local people to learn more about Asia and the world – and for the visitors to learn more about Nanjing and China. This experience will leave behind a long-lasting social legacy for the people of Nanjing and contribute to the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. As I said at the beginning of my message, the Olympic Movement is about much more than sport – and we can demonstrate and celebrate this through our events in 2013 and beyond. Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah President, Olympic Council of Asia President, Association of National Olympic Committees SHEIKH AHMAD VOTED NO. 2 IN ATR’S GOLDEN 25 FOR 2013 he rise and rise of His Excellency Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad National Olympic Committees in April. T Al Sabah in the global Olympic sports movement has been reflected in his second-place ranking in the Golden 25 “The nearly effortless takeover of ANOC was made possible in conducted by Around The Rings. part due to the resignation of predecessor Mario Vazquez Rana, who opted out of a power struggle. In the annual, end-of-year report, ATR picks out the most influential sports leaders for the coming year - and Sheikh "On the other hand, the Sheikh, also President of the Olympic Ahmad was voted second behind the IOC President, Jacques Council of Asia, does enjoy widespread support among the Rogge. NOC rank-and-file. The citation reads: “Sheikh Ahmad wants to expand the role and influence of ANOC, as well as the participation of the 204 members of the “A powerful behind-the-scenes figure representing the world’s organisation. In June he will preside over what is planned as the National Olympic Committees, Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah has start of annual general assemblies for ANOC; previously, they risen in influence by becoming President of the Association of have been held every two years.” Page 03 News Digest: Lausanne Latest IOC WELCOMES BACK KUWAIT NOC he National Olympic Committee of Kuwait was officially Kuwait and its athletes in all regional, continental and interna- T welcomed back into the Olympic Movement on December tional tournaments under the slogan of the State,” he said. 4, 2012, when the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board lifted permanently the suspension that had been in place Sheikh Ahmad reiterated the allegiance of everyone within the since January 2010. Olympic Movement in Kuwait, especially the athletes, to HH the Amir, and vowed to give their best efforts in raising the Kuwaiti The suspension had been imposed for government interference flag to the top of the podium. threatening the autonomy of the NOC, but was eased tempo- rarily on July 14, 2012, based on guarantees from the highest The IOC confirmed that the Kuwait NOC and national sports authorities in the country to pass new sports legislation that federations are now able to operate in full compliance with the would be in harmony with the Olympic Charter. Olympic Charter and the rules of the International Federations. This temporary lifting of the sanc- tion allowed Kuwait to compete in the London Olympic Games under their own flag and anthem, winning one bronze medal in shooting. The deadline for imple- menting the new sports law was set for November 22, 2012. IOC Vice President Nawal El Moutawakel attended the fourth Speaking after the IOC Executive edition of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Board decision to end the suspen- Sports Awards to collect the Personality of the Year Award on sion, Kuwait NOC President behalf of IOC President Jacques Rogge. The President won the Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah award for his contribution to the Olympic Movement. thanked His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Also present was IOC member Sergey Bubka, President of the Al Sabah, for issuing the relevant NOC of Ukraine, which won the award for Team Achievement Decree 26. on Values, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was the special guest speaker. “I would like to express my grati- tude to HH the Amir for all the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown measures he has undertaken to Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, end the international suspension presented the awards alongside Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed and ensure the participation of Kuwait NOC at the London Olympics team welcome ceremony. Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE NOC. IOC RUNS OUT OF PATIENCE WITH INDIAN OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION The International Olympic Committee’s the Olympic Charter or the IOC until the suspension is lifted by Executive Board decided to suspend the the IOC Executive Board. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Decem- ber 4, 2012, and gave three reasons for its In particular, the Executive Board confirms that the IOA is not actions: entitled to hold any elections until all pending issues are resolved and the EB decides to lift the suspension. Failure to comply with the Olympic Charter and its statutes; On November 23, the IOC wrote to the IOA informing it that a Failure to inform the IOC in a timely matter and main- proposal to suspend the IOA would be presented to the IOC tain close cooperation; Executive Board in Lausanne on December 4-5 unless the As a protective measure against government interfer- current situation was rectified. ence in the IOA’s election process. “For more than two years, the IOC has expressed severe With this decision, the IOA is no longer entitled to exercise any concerns about government interference in the IOA’s upcoming activity or right, including financial support, conferred upon it by election process,” the IOC said in a statement. Page 04 News Digest: IOC Trophy 2012 ASIAN NOCS PRESENT IOC TROPHY FOR 2012 dential Palace at Ulaanbaatar. In Malaysia, the IOC Trophy was awarded to the Olympic Council of Malaysia headquarters build- ing, or Wisma OCM, in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia NOC said the development and management of Wisma OCM was an excellent model of sport and sustain- able development, possible only through careful and clear strategy, planning, implementation and management. NOC President and IOC member HRH Tunku Imran presented the IOC Trophy to NOC Deputy President Datuk A.