Official Newsletter of the Olympic Council of Asia Edition 53 - June 2021 INCREDIBLE IKEE ASIAN GAMES MVP COMPLETES OLYMPIC COMEBACK OCA CONGRATULATES OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS OCA WOMEN IN SPORT OCA GAMES UPDATE OCA SPORTS DIARY Contents Inside Sporting Asia Edition 53 – June 2021 3 OCA President’s Message 18 4 – 9 Six pages of NOC News in Pictures 10 – 17 OCA Games Update 10 – 15 Hangzhou 2022 16 Asian Youth Games Shantou 2021 19 17 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 18 – 24 Road to Tokyo 18 Tokyo 2020 – Finally! 19 Miracle Worker: Rikako Ikee 22 20 – 21 Photo Gallery on Asian qualifiers 22 Steel Roses show nerves of steel 23 Rugby Repechage, handball draw 24 Taekwondo, rowing, sport climbing 23 25 – 27 Inside the OCA 28 – 31 Women in Sport 32 – 35 Obituary 36 – 37 News in Brief 38 – 39 OCA Sports Diary 24 40 Hangzhou 2022 Volunteers OCA Sponsors’ Club * Page 02 President’s Message ASIAN ATHLETES SHOW TRUE OLYMPIC SPIRIT ON ROAD TO TOKYO Sporting Asia is the official It has been a long wait for the newsletter of the Olympic Olympic Games in Tokyo, but we Council of Asia, published are now turning the last corner and quarterly. hitting the home straight together. The finishing line is in sight in terms Executive Editor / Director General of organisation and preparation, Husain Al-Musallam [email protected] and soon the Olympic Games will be upon us. Director, Int’l & NOC Relations Vinod Tiwari This will come as a huge relief for [email protected] all concerned, to finally begin the sports competitions and use the Director, Asian Games Department magnificent venues built or Haider A. Farman [email protected] renovated for this grand occasion and global celebration. Editor Jeremy Walker It has been a build-up like no other – and it The postponement and the changes in [email protected] will be an Olympic Games like nothing protocol brought about by the pandemic before due to the health protocols in place and health requirements have created an Executive Secretary for athletes and officials from the National array of new challenges for our Nayaf Sraj [email protected] Olympic Committees around the world. administrators, but they have worked diligently behind the scenes to produce the Media Manager At this point I would like to congratulate all best environment for the athletes to enable Jeans Zhou Jian our Asian athletes and our NOCs for their them to produce their peak performance at [email protected] tireless work during the past year in such an important time in their life. particular. Olympic Council of Asia It was decided several months ago that PO Box 6706, Hawalli Zip Code 32042 All our plans and preparations were put on there would be no spectators allowed from Kuwait hold in March 2020 when the Olympics overseas, but the athletes can rest assured Telephone: +965 22274277 - 88 were postponed for a year, and since then they will be cheered passionately and Fax: +965 22274280 - 90 everyone has had to regroup and refocus enthusiastically by their family, friends and Email: [email protected] on their targets. everyone back home. Website: www.ocasia.org The athletes have shown remarkable In this respect, the Olympic Games Tokyo dedication and determination to keep the 2020 will truly bring the world together Olympic spirit burning in their hearts and to again and provide some positive and keep alive their hopes of winning a medal exciting news in the weeks to come. and representing their flag with pride on this massive Olympic stage. Front Cover: The OCA wishes all our Asian athletes the best for Tokyo 2020 and we are sure you Asian Games OCA MVP will add to the proud legacy of the Olympic Rikako Ikee shows her Games, not only in your own country or delight in qualifying for the region but throughout our continent. Olympic Games at the Japanese national trials in Our NOCs, too, must take a lot of credit for Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah Tokyo in April 2021. coming this far. President, Olympic Council of Asia (Photo: AFLO SPORT/JOC) Page 03 NOC News in Pictures PALESTINE Olympic Committee’s events department organised a seminar on athlete nutrition and a healthy lifestyle at the Joseph Blatter Academy to mark the World Health Organisation’s World Health Day on April 7. Young athletes from wushu, fencing, swimming and other sports heard a presentation from nutritionist Reem Masharqa from the Palestine Olympic Medicine Center. SINGAPORE National Olympic Coun- cil reported on a special gift from a special family: A S$500,000 donation from the famous water polo-playing Tan family to support the development of the sport in Singapore. Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Com- munity and Youth, principal donor Dr Tan Eng Liang and IOC Vice President Ng Ser Miang launched the fund on March 21. TAJIKISTAN NOC held a two-day work- shop on March 18-19 in Dushanbe city to discuss preparations of national teams at a number of major interna- tional events in 2021, including the Tokyo Olympics and the Asian Youth Games. The seminar was attended by head coaches and representatives of national sport federations. SRI Lanka NOC’s OVEP Debater 2020 competition for schools was won by Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya of Colombo, ahead of Hillwood College Kandy in second place and Chundikuli Girls' College, Jaffna in third. The prize presentation was held in the Hemasiri Fernando Auditorium of Olympic House. The NOC began this debater competition in 2017 as a pilot project and plans to expand it in Sinhala, English and Tamil languages. Page 04 NOC News in Pictures HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, President of the TRACK cycling champion Sarah Lee Wai Sze was named Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, sent his congratula- Athlete of the Year for the sixth time at the Cathay Pacific tions to Dr Thomas Bach on his re-election as IOC Presi- 2019 Hong Kong Sports Awards organised by the Sports dent on March 10 through to 2025. HRH Prince Abdulaziz Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China described President Bach as a visionary leader during his on April 10. Fencer Vivian Kong Man Wai was named first eight-year term of office and said the future of the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. The VIP guest was Chief Olympic movement was very bright. Executive Carrie Lam (pictured with Sarah Lee). UZBEKISTAN NOC President Rustam Shaabdurakhmonov signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the President of the Turkish Olympic Committee and World HIS Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Archery President, Ugur Erdener, during a visit to Tashkent. Al Maktoum, President of the United Arab Emirates President Shaabdurakhmonov said: “We know that Turkey National Olympic Committee, chaired the UAE NOC is a country with great opportunities, particular in the field 44th General Assembly on April 22. His Highness said of sport. Our athletes often hold training camps in Turkey that developing the UAE sports sector and enhancing the - in rowing and canoeing, cycling, weightlifting and competitiveness of UAE athletes was key to raising the athletics - and I am sure both sides will benefit from this country’s profile in international events and was in line arrangement.” with the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years. Page 05 NOC News in Pictures NEPAL Olympic Committee Presi- dent the Hon. Jeevan Ram Shres- tha attended a one-day painting exhibition in Kiritpur Municipality in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board and the Peace Through Sport Commission. The exhibition promoted the history and culture of Kiritpur and showed how art and sport can bring peace and unity among the people. UNDER the patronage of Yemen Olympic Committee and with the support of Olympic Solidarity, the Yemen Athletes’ Committee organised a seminar on psycho- logical support for national team athletes on March 22 at the OlympAsia Hall of the Olympic Complex. The symposium attracted 86 participants. Yemen NOC Secretary General Moham- med Abdullah Al-Ahjeri stressed the importance of mental training as well as physical and technical skills. KOREAN Sport and Olympic Committee President Lee Kee- heung signed an official partner- ship agreement with Youngone Outdoor Corporation (The North Face) Chairman and CEO Sung Ki-hak in the sports apparel category of Team Korea. The deal was signed on March 17 at the Olympic Culture Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul and will run through to 2024. Page 06 NOC News in Pictures MONGOLIA'S IOC Member and NOC First Vice President Batbold Battushig gave a welcome speech at the opening ceremony of the “Mongolia NOC – 65” international online conference and read out a congratu- latory message from the IOC President, Thomas Bach, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the NOC in 1956. He also gave a presentation on the first ever Mongolia House at an Olympic Games, planned for Tokyo 2020, at the 137th IOC Session held virtually from March 10-12. AFGHANISTAN National Olympic Committee President PAKISTAN Olympic Association President Lt Gen (ret) Syed Dr. Hafizullah Wali Rahimi presented prizes at the Open Arif Hasan led the POA’s White Card campaign to mark Blitz Chess Tournament for Women to mark International the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace Women’s Day on March 8 at the Kabul Serena Hotel. The on April 6. He was joined by athletes and officials from event attracted 12 players. many sports in the country. CAMBODIA NOC Secretary General Vath Chamroeun said - on a site visit on April 4 - that the main stadium of the new Morodok Techo National Sports Complex was 95 per cent finished and was on course to be completed by the end of May 2021.