Bangkok, Thailand, March 13, 2023: The Olympic Council of Asia’s Director General, Husain Al Musallam, paid a glowing tribute to the people of Thailand and declared he was happy with the outcome of the second Coordination Committee meeting for the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Bangkok on Monday, March 13.
In a productive and satisfactory opening session of the two-day meeting, the OCA Coordination Committee for the AIMAG went through several issues with the local Organising Committee.
These included welcoming Mixed Martial Arts as a medal sport, the workings of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and touching on budgets and accreditation. At the end of fruitful discussions, Mr. Al Musallam declared he was highly satisfied with the progress report for the November 17-26 AIMAG in Bangkok and Chonburi province.
“We have had a successful meeting where we touched on important matters. I’m pleased to welcome Mixed Martial Arts to the Games and very happy with the progress shown, especially the venue preparations in Bangkok and Chonburi,” Mr. Al Musallam noted.
In his opening address, the OCA Director General acknowledged the long relationship between Thailand and Asian sport, saying: “The Kingdom of Thailand has played a huge role in sports in Asia having hosted four Asian Games previously, one Beach Games, and now two Indoor and Martial Arts Games. This shows the commitment and love of the people of Thailand to sports.”
Mr. Al Musallam added: “I would like to place on record the deep appreciation I have for the hard work of the Organising Committee. There have been challenges. The Tokyo Olympics was postponed by one year and this led to the postponement of these Games. All these challenges have been handled in a friendly manner, highlighting the culture of Asia.”
Dato Seri Chaiyapak Siriwat, OCA Vice President for AIMAG, stressed the Organising Committee was there to answer all questions from the Coordination Committee members and would ensure that the Games would be a resounding success.
In his welcome speech, Dr. Gongsak Yodmani, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand and Secretary General of the AIMAG Organising Committee, noted that much progress had been made by the various committees since the first Coordination Committee meeting last November.
“This is an opportune time to assess our progress report and I can assure you that the Royal Thai Government and the authorities of the cities of Bangkok and Chonburi are fully behind the staging of these Games,” Dr. Yodmani said.
