Official Newsletter of the Olympic Council of Asia Edition 30 - September 2015 And the winner is….. Chinese capital makes Olympic history Olympic Day in Asia SEA Games in Singapore Contents Inside your 32-page Sporting Asia 3 President’s Message New ANOC HQ Sporting Asia is the official newsletter of the Olympic 4 – 7 NEWS DIGEST Council of Asia, published quarterly. 04-05 4-5 IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur Executive Editor / Director General Husain Al Musallam [email protected] 6 Central Asia welcomes IOC President and Sheikh Ahmad Art Director / IT Director Amer Elalami [email protected] 7 Rugby sevens on the Road to Rio Director, Int’l & NOC Relations Vinod Tiwari 8 – 11 Olympic Day in Asia [email protected] 08-11 Director, Asian Games Department 12 Inside the OCA Haider A. Farman [email protected] 28TH SEA GAMES – 13-20 Editor SINGAPORE 2015 Jeremy Walker [email protected] 14 –15 Overview, Medals Table Executive Secretary Nayaf Sraj [email protected] 16 – 17 Stars of the Show Olympic Council of Asia 13-20 PO Box 6706, Hawalli Inside Story Zip Code 32042 18 – 19 Kuwait Telephone: +965 22274277 - 88 20 Singapore Scrapbook Fax: +965 22274280 - 90 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ocasia.org 21 – 24 GAMES UPDATE 21 5th Asian Beach Games 2016 22-23 22 – 23 18th Asian Games 2018 Front cover: 8th Asian Winter Games 2017 24 IOC President Thomas Bach announ- ces the host city for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games during the 128th IOC 25 – 30 Six pages of NOC News and Sport Session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31. (Photo: www.olympic.org) 31 Obituary 25-30 32 OCA Diary, Sponsors Club Page 02 President’s Message NEW OCA CYCLE WILL BRING FRESH CHALLENGES nce again we have come to the end of another Olympic term for the OCA, since our O Elective General Assembly in Tokyo in 2011. We have achieved a lot in those four years, not only with the contribution of all 45 NOCs to the success of the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, Korea, last year but also to the development of the sports movement throughout the continent. Our five multi-sport games continue to go from strength to strength, setting new benchmarks in sports innovation and presentation around the world, and we can look forward to building on this momentum in the next Olympic cycle through to 2019. Our 34th OCA General Assembly brings us to Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, and gives the local NOC a taste of what to expect when they host the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in September 2017. Central Asia is booming in the Olympic sports movement, and the OCA Executive Board and General Assembly in Ashgabat on September 15-16 will give all the delegates the opportunity to witness at first-hand the impressive Olympic complex that is being built for the 5th AIMAG and beyond. As the next Elective General Assembly approaches, I would like to thank all the OCA committees for their hard work and their ideas and initiatives during the past four years. Your contribution has kept the OCA moving forwards, always looking to create the best environment for the athletes and the best conditions for our administrators and officials. The next four years will present new challenges, and I am confident that, with our experience and expertise, our unity and solidarity, we will be able to meet them. Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah President, Olympic Council of Asia President, Association of National Olympic Committees Chairman, IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission Member, FIFA Executive Committee ANOC’S ‘hOME AWAY FROM HOme’ IN LAUSANNE heikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah presided over the ANOC moved into the new headquarters at the end of S inauguration of the new ANOC HQ in the Olympic last year. capital Lausanne on June 8. In front of 250 guests from the Olympic movement, the ANOC President thanked the NOCs, the ANOC Executive Council, the International Federation Presidents and the city of Lausanne for their support of this project. “With 205 NOCs around the world it is very important that we have a headquarters that can serve as a home away from home for our members,” said Sheikh Ahmad. “This headquarters is fully equipped to host formal and informal meetings and provides the perfect base for ANOC to support its NOCs. Our doors are always open to all stakeholders in the Olympic family.” The inauguration of the ANOC HQ on June 8. Page 03 News Digest 128th IOC Session BEIJING – tHE OLYMPIC CITY FOR ALL SEASONS eijing made history at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala fantastic and excellent Olympic Winter Games in 2022,” B Lumpur on July 31 when the Chinese capital became he concluded. the first city to be awarded the Winter and Summer Games. After a final day of pleas and About the bid presentations from the two candidate eijing 2022 will involve three venue clusters and cities, Beijing beat Almaty (Kazakhstan) B three Olympic Villages, connected by a high- 44-40 for the right to host the Winter speed rail network with a maximum journey of 50 Olympics in 2022 – 14 years after the minutes from Beijing to Zhangjiakou: Summer Games in 2008. Beijing Zone will host all the ice sports in five “Today is a remarkable day for Beijing and for the Olympic competition venues, including the National Aquatics Movement,” said Beijing Mayor and Bid President Wang Centre (Water Cube) for curling. The opening and Anshun. closing ceremonies will be at the iconic Bird’s Nest. The one new venue will be the National Speed Skating “It is a day that will go down in history when Beijing and Oval. Zhangjiakou were awarded the Olympic Winter Games in 2022. Yanqing Zone will involve the newly built National Alpine Ski Centre and National Sliding “This is the first time in Olympic history that the same city Centre, aimed specifically for the development and will host both the Summer and Winter Olympics. This is promotion of winter sports. unprecedented in the 120-year history of the Olympic Movement.” Zhangjiakou Zone will have five competition venues, including the Nordic Centre, Biathlon Centre Mayor Wang said the preparations, hosting and legacy and Genting Snow Park for freestyle skiing and of 2022 would expose some 300 million of China’s 1.3 snowboard. billion population to winter sports, and described the Chinese people as “thrilled and overjoyed” to have won Proposed budget for investment in Olympic the vote. Villages, sports venues and other infrastructure: US$1.5 billion “We must work to deliver a risk-free, extraordinary, Beijing 2022 officials erupt in joyous celebration at the IOC announcement. Page 04 News Digest 128th IOC Session OCA PRESIDENT SAYS ASIA IS READY TO DELIVER TOP-QUALITY OLYMPICS he OCA President, HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al OCA Vice President Timothy Fok said the Winter T Sabah, spoke with pride of the two Asian candidates Olympics in 2022 would not only expand winter sports bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. in northern China but also spread the Olympic spirit throughout the nation. Surrounded by media at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Sheikh Ahmad praised Almaty for pushing Beijing “We know that Beijing did a very good job in 2008. so close and personally congratulated the Kazakh Prime As well as delivering a perfect Games in 2022 it will Minister, Karim Massimov, on the efforts of his team. also completely develop a new area with the focus on sustainability, contribute to sport and develop Olympic Regarding Beijing’s success, Sheikh Ahmad said: “This values in China.” adds value to the Olympic Movement and is part of the legacy because it will be the first time one city has hosted the Summer and Winter Olympics. “China wants to give the chance to 300 million citizens to embrace winter sports, and is doing this not only because of the Games but because the government has made it part of the national development of their own country.” Beijing 2022 will follow PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020 as Olympic Games host, and Sheikh Ahmad said Asia was ready to impress the world. “I do not have any doubt that Asia will deliver all the Games in a very high standard,” he concluded Sheikh Ahmad is interviewed at the KL Convention Centre. IOC PRESIDENT PRAISES ‘100 PER CENt’ SUCCESS OF KL SESSION OC President Thomas Bach wrapped up the 128th IOC 14 IOC members whose eight-year terms were I Session in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, August 3 by telling coming to a close were re-elected for a further eight the Malaysian organisers: “You have succeeded 100 per years, including Syed Shahid Ali (Pakistan), Rita Subowo cent.” (Indonesia) and Wu Ching-kuo (Chinese Taipei). In presenting the IOC Trophy to the President of the Gunilla Lindberg (Sweden) was re-elected to the Olympic Council of Malaysia and head of the organising IOC Executive Board for a second four-year term. committee, HRH Prince Tunku Imran, President Bach thanked the Malaysian hosts, staff and volunteers. Nenad Lalovic (Serbia, President of United World Wrestling) and Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye (President, “You have been here with us all Senegal NOC) were elected new IOC members. the time and offered us your smile, hospitality and great organisational The IOC Session formally recognised the World skills,” said President Bach. “We Flying Disc Federation, which was established 30 years could feel your dedication and ago and is based in Germany with 62 affiliated National your work in making this a very Federations from all five continents.