Kuwait City, Kuwait, December 9, 2020: The Olympic Council of Asia’s Culture Committee met online on Wednesday, December 9 to discuss the progress of cultural events that will run alongside the OCA’s multi-sport games.
The meeting was chaired by Mrs Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, International Olympic Committee Member from Thailand who is also Chair of the IOC Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission.
The OCA is planning to introduce a New Wave initiative to its traditional sports events next year that will include comprehensive cultural elements such as music, movies and food as part of a major international festival. The OCA New Wave will also include an Asian sports industry expo, a sports museum and international sports forum.
Committee member Francis Wanandi of Indonesia outlined the progress of OCA New Wave and identified 14 working areas that would be incorporated into a sports festival.
The OCA has three multi-sport games in 2021 – Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China in April, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi province, Thailand in May and the Asian Youth Games in Shantou, China in November – before the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September 2022, by which time the OCA New Wave will be fully operational.
Mrs Khunying thanked Mr Wanandi for his “very comprehensive presentation” and said it was important to promote Asian culture and heritage, as well as sport, around the world.
“In January we will host Badminton World Federation tournaments in Bangkok and we plan to include traditional arts and cultural performances in between the matches so we can educate and entertain viewers around the world about our culture and sport,” said Mrs Khunying, who is Deputy President of the BWF.
The OCA’s Director of International and National Olympic Committee Relations, Mr Vinod Tiwari, updated members on the news from OCA HQ and from the organising committees of OCA games next year.
Looking ahead to a post-covid sports world, Mrs Khunying said the Badminton World Federation, Badminton Association of Thailand and local authorities in Bangkok had created a special “protocol bubble” for the tournaments in January which comprised of the hotel, practice courts, competition venue and organised quarantine.
She added that spectators, too, would have to adapt to a new sports culture when attending sports events regarding health checks, physical distancing and seating arrangements.
“We have had a fruitful meeting and I would like to thank everyone for your information and ideas. We can show our strong support for sport and the OCA through our Asian culture in the future,” she said.