Official Newsletter of the Olympic Council of Asia Edition 49 - June 2020 HELLO HANGZHOU! MEET THE NEW ASIAN GAMES MASCOTS OCA Games Update OCA Advisory Commi�ee OCA Sports Calendar OCA and COVID-19 Contents Inside Sporting Asia Edition 49 – June 2020 3 President’s Message 11 4 - 7 News in Pictures 8 - 9 Awards 10 - 11 Inside the OCA 12 - 16 OCA Games Updates 17 - 20 Asia/Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifier 20 21 Road to Tokyo: Table Tennis 22 - 25 Olympic Spirit in COVID-19 26 - 27 Women in Sport 28 - 29 News in Brief 22 30 - 34 Obituary 36 OCA Sports Diary/Sponsors Club Enjoy E-mobility @ the Asian Games with Geely Zhejiang Geely Holding Group was founded in 1986 and entered the automotive industry in 1997. Since then, it has grown with a dedication towards technological innovation, talent cultivation, tempering of core strengths, sustainability. Geely has developed into a global enterprise engaged in the design, R&D, production, sales, and service of vehicles, powertrains, and key components. The Group is in the midst of transforming into a global mobility technology enterprise engaged in the fields of mobility services, digital technology, financial services, education, sports, and other business. In 2019, Geely Holding Group was listed on the Fortune Global 500 for eight consecutive years with annual sales of over 2.17 million vehicles, assets totaling over 330 billion RMB, and employing more than 120,000 people. Headquartered in Hangzhou, the group owns several brands including Geely Auto, Lynk & Co, Geometry, Volvo Cars, Polestar, PROTON, Lotus, London Electric Vehicle Company, Farizon Auto, Terrafugia, CAOCAO, Qianjiang Motorcycle, Joma, Saxo Bank, Mitime Group, etc. The group and its subsidiaries have set up a global development network with R&D and design centres located around the world. The Group operates world-class manufacturing facilities in China, US, UK, Sweden, Belgium, Belarus, and Malaysia. Geely is also the largest shareholder in Volvo AB and Daimler AG. In April 2019, Geely Holding Group became the official prestige partner of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Under the slogan “Enjoy E-mobility @ the Asian Games with Geely,” the Group will empower the games with green, intelligent, and humanistic technologies. Geely will develop a series of full autonomous mobility solutions by 2022 to service the 19th Asian Games. Page 02 President’s Message OLYMPIC SPIRIT SHINES BRIGHTLY IN DARK DAYS OF COVID-19 Sporting Asia is the official newsletter of the Olympic Council of Asia, published quarterly. Executive Editor / Director General Husain Al-Musallam [email protected] Director, Int’l & NOC Relations Vinod Tiwari [email protected] Director, Asian Games Department Haider A. Farman [email protected] Editor At the turn of the year, the world was This was the first time in history that the Jeremy Walker [email protected] looking forward to a summer of celebration Olympics had been postponed and we all – the Olympic Games in Tokyo. had to accept the “new-norm” and embrace Executive Secretary the changes that needed to be made. Nayaf Sraj It would be a time for athletes from all conti- [email protected] nents to gather together and inspire us with Once again I think the Olympic family has their heroic deeds and golden achievements shown a true team spirit in adapting to the Olympic Council of Asia – and, for some, to write their name in conditions and overcoming the challenges PO Box 6706, Hawalli Zip Code 32042 Olympic history. one by one. Kuwait Telephone: +965 22274277 - 88 Then along came COVID-19 and the world The International Olympic Committee, the Fax: +965 22274280 - 90 stopped. Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the Email: [email protected] International Federations, the National Website: www.ocasia.org Our sports events were called off; our Olympic Committees and individual athletes were forced to go into lockdown athletes around the world put the disap- and train at home; and our world was pointment behind them, rolled up their devastated by the loss of human life. sleeves and began planning for Tokyo 2020 – in 2021. Today, our world is a much different place to the one at the turn of the year when every- The world will eventually return to normal – thing seemed so positive and the outlook so including our world of sport and our bright. cherished Olympic Movement. But, even in these darkest days, the Olympic Until then, stay safe, stay strong and follow Movement has displayed all the characteris- the guidelines to protect yourself and others. tics that make it so special and so unique: Front Cover: the cooperation and understanding in At the end of this, we will meet again and The mascot triplets for the dealing with this new set of circumstances; celebrate a victory greater than anything we 19th Asian Games Hang- the team spirit in working together towards a have witnessed on the sports field. zhou 2022. collective goal; the resolute determination to emerge victorious. The biggest sports casualty of all, of course, was the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Tokyo which have now been put Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah back a year to the summer of 2021. President, Olympic Council of Asia Page 03 News in Pictures PALESTINE Olympic Committee President Gen. Jibril Rajoub praised the hard work and dedication of female staff within the local Olympic sports movement as part of International Women’s Day celebrations. “She is the mother, the sister and the daugh- ter that we cherish,” he said, while praising the effort and determination they have showed in breaking down stereotypes. ASIAN Games 2018 MVP Rikako Ikee is back in the pool ANOC Merit Award winner Firas Mualla is the new Presi- after 406 days of treatment and recovery since being dent of the Syrian Olympic Committee. The renowned diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019 – just six long-distance swimmer was elected as head of the months after winning six gold medals and two silver General Sports Federation and of the Syrian Olympic medals in Jakarta. The 19-year-old Japanese swimmer Committee in the 10th public conference of the General posted two pictures on her Instagram account on March Sports Federation held on February 16. (Photo: The Syria 17 to share the latest developments in her life. Times) Page 04 News in Pictures CHINESE Olympians joined local sports officials at the official opening of the new Athlete Training and Development Centre next to the East Asian Games Dome in Macau, China. The local officials were: Pun Weng Kun, President of the Sports Bureau of the Macau SAR Govern- ment and Vice President of the Sports and Olym- pic Committee of Macau, China; Charles Lo, President of the Olympic Committee and OCA Executive Board member; and Carson Ma Chi Seng, head of the Youth Committee and Treasurer of the Olympic Committee. CHINESE Taipei Olympic Committee celebrated Interna- WORLD badminton champion PV Sindhu is one of the tional Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6 new ambassadors for the Badminton World Federation’s “I with a “white card” campaign as a symbol of peace. The am badminton” integrity campaign. The Indian superstar 22 elite athletes taking part included Chieh Chen and Rio 2016 silver medallist said: “You are playing the (pictured). CTOC also held a reunion for graduates of the sport for yourself. You need to be happy about it. You have International Sports Affairs Training Course on March 29. to play it very clean and that is very important to me.” The The activities included a seminar and sport climbing list also includes: Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong exercise. (China) and Chan Ho-yuen (Hong Kong, China). Page 05 News in Pictures SOUTHEAST Asia Regional Anti- Doping Organisation (SEARADO) Director General Gobinathan Nair (left) visited Brunei on Febru- ary 18 to meet with key stakehold- ers including Maj Gen Dato Aminuddin Ihasan Abidin, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and Brunei Darussalam NOC Secre- tary General Zuraimi Abdul Sani. TAJIKISTAN National Olympic Committee, in cooperation UZBEKISTAN NOC President Rustam Shaabdurakhmonov with the Committee for Youth and Sport, held a “Sport for briefed the Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, Abdu- All” day in a variety of sports including athletics, chess and jabbor Abdukhokhidov, on the condition and fitness levels judo on April 28. All winners were awarded diplomas and of the country’s Olympic elite athletes during quarantine medals by Tajikistan NOC as well as commemorative and explained the activities and exercises they were under- gifts. The aim of the event was to attract more youngsters taking to maintain their fitness. to sport and unearth new talent. (Photo: Tajikistan NOC) ASIA Rugby General Manager Ross Mitchell retired from his post at the end of March. He was involved with rugby in Asia for over 45 years and was a popular figure on the Asian Games circuit. In 2007, Ross was elected by the Asia Rugby (ARFU at the time) Council as Honorary Secretary General for four years. In 2013, Asia Rugby appointed him as General Manager. Page 06 News in Pictures THE Athletes 365 Career+ Outreach Workshop organ- ised by the Athletes Commis- sion of the Qatar Olympic Committee took place at the Qatar Olympic Academy on February 24. The two-day workshop brought together 15 Team Qatar athletes who had represented the country in previous Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. IRAN is forming a women’s para powerlifting national KAZAKHSTAN National Olympic Committee elected a team to take part in international competitions, the Tehran new Executive Committee at the General Assembly on Times reports. Last year, the Iran Weightlifting Federation February 26. The meeting was attended by NOC President sent female lifters to the Asian Championships and to the Timur Kulibayev and Deputy Prime Minister Yeraly Tugzha- International Weightlifting Federation World Champion- nov as well as presidents and representatives of national ships for the first time.