Kuwait City, Kuwait, January 1, 2024: On behalf of the Olympic Council of Asia, I would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year 2024.
The highlight of the year will be the Olympic Games in Paris from July 26 to August 12, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Asian athletes the very best in their respective sports.
Our 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8, 2023 showed the world not only the athletic prowess of Asian athletes but also the high capability of the organising committee in staging such a huge international event.
The Asian Games also projected the passion and enthusiasm of the Asian people for the Olympic Movement, and I am sure the Asian athletes taking part in Paris will be followed very keenly back home throughout the continent.
Many of our athletes will be challenging for gold, and many others will just take pride in representing their flag on the biggest stage of all and trying to produce their peak performance.
The OCA is proud of you all, and confident that all our athletes will represent Asia with dignity, respect and fair play.
The new year will begin, however, with another “first” for Asia – the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea from January 19 to February 1 and the first to be held in Asia.
We are convinced the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 will be a great success, as the Koreans are well known for their high level of organisation, management and sports presentation, and we commend them for their extensive use of winter sports facilities from the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
Later in the year, the OCA will host the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi province, Thailand.
These Games should have taken place in 2021 but have been delayed several times, first by the covid pandemic and after-effects and then by the change of government in Thailand.
The OCA would like to thank our 45 National Olympic Committees for their patience and understanding in this matter and we are looking forward to gathering in Thailand later this year.
Elsewhere, the OCA will be busy in 2024 preparing for a new cycle of multi-sports events, including the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China in February 2025 and the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou are still fresh in the memory, as they were a spectacular success, but there is no time to waste as we build towards the next edition in Japan in less than three years’ time.
With the Winter YOG in Korea, the Olympic Games in Paris and the AIMAG in Thailand in 2024, our Asian National Olympic Committees will be very busy in the coming months.
But we know their efforts and hard work will produce rich rewards and keep the Olympic Council of Asia moving “Ever Onward”.
Happy New Year!
NEW YEAR’S DAY MESSAGE
FROM OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF ASIA
ACTING PRESIDENT, RAJA RANDHIR SINGH