Bangkok, Thailand, July 7, 2023: Delegation heads from Asian countries at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will have to comply with gender equity demands according to Jordan Olympic Committee President HRH Prince Faisal Al Hussein.
Addressing the Olympic Council of Asia’s 80th Executive Board Meeting on Friday, July 7 in Bangkok, Prince Faisal revealed that a plan to have more women as Chef de Missions or Deputy Chef De Missions at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China will bear fruit by the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“The current excuse is that women lack experience or are not qualified to hold the positions of Chef de Missions. We have now recommended that at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, if the Chef de Mission of a delegation is a male, then his deputy be a female, and vice-versa,” Prince Faisal explained.
The Chair of the ANOC Gender Equity Commission was speaking after Sheikha Hayat Abdulaziz Al-Khalifa, Chair of OCA Gender Equity Committee, had given a brief report on the success of the first-ever OCA Gender Equity seminar held in Manama, Bahrain last October.
A total of 42 NOCs represented by either Secretary Generals or Board Members participated in the ground-breaking seminar.
While lauding these efforts, Prince Faisal said Asia was still lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to gender equity in sports with one key area being the delegation heads of countries at major sporting events still being male-dominated.
“There can be no excuse once the Paris 2024 Olympics comes around with the measures we have put in place for the Hangzhou Asian Games,” Prince Faisal noted.