Bangkok, Thailand, July 8, 2023: The 42nd Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly today elected Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al-Sabah as OCA President from 2023-2027.
Sheikh Talal received 24 votes out of the 44 total votes cast, exceeding the required majority of 23. The other candidate running for the position, OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam, received 20 votes.
Following the election, Sheikh Talal commented:
“First of all, thank you to the Acting President, the Executive Board, the Election Committee, the members of the General Assembly and a special thank you to Captain Husain who has done a lot for the OCA. We will continue to work for Asia. Today, we open a new page. As I promised, I will do my best to unite Asia again, and Asia will be one family. We will continue to protect the solidarity of Asia.”
Sheikh Talal also proposed Husain Al-Musallam as an Honorary Life Vice-President of the OCA in recognition of his efforts to advance and develop the OCA.
The General Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand also saw elections held for the Vice Presidents of the OCA, with the following representatives from each of the five regions elected:
• Vice President – East Asia: Timothy Fok Tsun Ting (Hong Kong, China)
• Vice President – Southeast Asia: Dato Seri Chaiyapak Siriwat (Thailand)
• Vice President – Central Asia: Timur Kulibayev (Kazakhstan)
• Vice President – South Asia: Lt Gen Syed Arif Hasan (Pakistan)
• Vice President – West Asia: Dr Thani Al Kuwari (Qatar)
The election for Vice President (West Asia) was the only contested Vice President election, with 44 total votes cast and Dr Thani Al Kuwari of Qatar exceeding the required majority with 26 votes. The opposing candidate, Osama Al Shafar of the UAE, received 18 votes.
Meanwhile, the OCA General Assembly confirmed Harbin, China as the host of the 2025 Asian Winter Games. A comprehensive bid was presented by Chinese Olympic Committee Vice President and IOC Member Yu Zaiqing, Harbin 2025 Bid Committee member, IOC Member and Olympic champion speed skater Zhang Hong, Mayor of Harbin Zhang Qixiang, and Vice Governor of the Heilongjiang Provincial Government, Han Shengjian.
Known for its vibrant ice and snow culture, and home to many of China’s most successful winter Olympians, Harbin has world-class facilities for winter sports. China’s Ice City also boasts strong hosting credentials having previously staged the Asian Winter Games in 1996, the 10th National Winter Games of China in 2003 and the 24th Winter Universiade in 2009.
The OCA General Assembly also received reports from the Organising Committees of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) and the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
In relation to the 6th AIMAG, the OCA General Assembly unanimously approved Thailand’s proposal to reschedule the Games from November 2023 to 24 February to 6 March 2024 due to several challenges posed by the political transition following general elections in the country. Additionally, at the request of Saudi Arabia, the General Assembly approved for the 2025 edition of the AIMAG to be rescheduled for 2026.
Meanwhile, with Hangzhou 2022 set to get underway on 23 September 2023, the Organising Committee confirmed the city’s readiness to welcome the Asian Olympic family for a celebration of sport.
Other items that were discussed during the OCA General Assembly were updates from the Finance Committee, Sports Committee, the Athletes Committee, the Advisory Committee, Medical Committee, Gender Equality Committee and the Culture Committee.
In addition, the OCA General Assembly in principle agreed the guidelines for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games as independent athletes, competing under a neutral flag, should the IOC approve their participation at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. These guidelines include a maximum quota of 500 athletes across no more than 12 individual sports, and that the athletes will not be eligible for medals.
Finally, it was confirmed that the next OCA General Assembly will take place in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2024, during the 6th AIMAG.