Kuwait City, Kuwait, August 19, 2023: A total of 26 candidates have put forward their names for the Olympic Council of Asia Athletes’ Committee elections which will take place during the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Athletes at the Hangzhou Asian Games from September 23 to October 8 will participate in a historic process when they elect 10 members – two athletes each, one male and one female, from the five zones in Asia – to the OCA Athletes’ Committee.
At the close of nominations earlier this month, a total of 26 candidates had come forward from East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, Central Asia and West Asia. It is the first time the OCA Athletes’ Committee will have elected members.
The election phase will commence one day after the Opening Ceremony at the Hangzhou Asian Games and end two days before the Closing Ceremony with an estimated 15,000 athletes eligible to vote. The two athletes from each zone who obtain the highest number of votes shall be elected as members of the OCA Athletes’ Committee.
All zones bar South Asia have put forward both male and female candidates. South Asia has not nominated a male candidate. India’s badminton star Saina Nehwal is the female candidate.
The decision to have an election for the Athletes’ Committee was taken at the OCA/Olympic Solidarity Athletes Forum in March in Bangkok, Thailand, where a total of 89 participants from 44 National Olympic Committees were represented.
Candidates List
East Asia: Male – Lee Chun Ho (Hong Kong, China; karate), Shin Hyun Woo (Korea; shooting); Naoto Tobe (Japan; athletics), Yang Kun Pi (Chinese Taipei; shooting). Female – Huang Mei Chien (Chinese Taipei; swimming), Ding Ning (China, table tennis).
South East Asia: Male – Terry Tay (Singapore; gymnastics). Female – Shayna Ng (Singapore; bowling), Francesca Altomonte (Philippines; softball), Shalin Zulkifli (Malaysia; bowling), Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy (Vietnam; judo).
South Asia: Male – N/A. Female – Saina Nehwal (India; badminton).
Central Asia: Male – Ehsan Hadidi (Iran; athletics), Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan; wrestling), Merdan Atayev (Turkmenistan; swimming). Female – Najmeh Khedmati (Iran; shooting), Zulhumar Dashkinova (Turkmenistan; judo), Yulduz Hashimi (Afghanistan; cycling).
West Asia: Male – Mohammed Al Qarnas (Yemen, boxing), Mutaz Barshim (Qatar, athletics), Abdelrahman Almasatfa (Jordan, karate), Adnan Taees Akkar (Iraq; athletics), Husein Alireza (Saudi Arabia; rowing), Abdallah Abushabab (Palestine; triathlon). Female – Julyana Al Sadeq (Jordan; taekwondo), Hala Al Qadi (Palestine, karate).