Lahore, Pakistan, November 15, 2020: The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has congratulated the Pakistan Olympic Association and its Athletes’ Commission for holding the First National Athletes Forum this weekend in Lahore.
Participants at the historic session on Saturday, November 14, the opening day of the forum, witnessed the IOC chief address the gathering by video, saying: “Athletes are not only at the heart, athletes are the heart of our Olympic community.”
Bach appreciated the Pakistan Olympic Association for taking the lead in communicating the implications of the IOC’s Athletes Declaration, and he admired the athletes of Pakistan for sending a strong message of confidence and optimism from Pakistan to the world whether in sports or in facing challenges in lives.
POA President and OCA Vice President Lt. Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hasan inaugurated the forum and stressed the value of physical strength having a positive impact on mental strength resulting in building a stronger community.
The objective of the two-day forum is to have interactive and educative sessions with national athletes providing them with a chance to learn the philosophy of Olympism as envisioned by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, and Olympic values.
Professor Stephen Wassong, President, Committee International Pierre de Coubertin, informed participants about the origins and objectives of the Olympic Movement, shedding light on the link between Greek antiquity and the modern Olympics.
One of the main events on the opening day was the address by Dr. Asad Abbas Shah, who presented the audience with the protocols of sports during COVID-19, and nutrition and enhancement of the immune system to fight the coronavirus.
Dr. Lubna Sibtain, mother of Olympian swimmer Rubab Raza, shared her experience of grooming an Olympian and how she is working for the elimination of doping from sport. A number of other former and current athletes also addressed the forum.
