Manama, Bahrain, June 6, 2024: The International Olympic Committee is expecting to reap a rich harvest from its Olympic Scholarship programme in Asia for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Addressing participants on the second day of the Olympic Solidarity/OCA Regional Forum in Bahrain, Edward Kensington, Olympic Solidarity Continental Manager Asia, was hopeful that there would be at least 150 athletes who have benefited from Olympic Scholarships at the Paris Games.
“For the Paris Olympic Games we had 314 scholarship holders from Asia and the IOC anticipates that 50 per cent of these will be competing in Paris,” Kensington told delegates from NOCs in South, Central and West Asia.
Of the 314 scholarship holders, 182 are men and 132 women, and come from 34 Asian NOCs in 24 sports.
With the Paris Olympics less than two months away, the focus of the IOC for the future has shifted to its next Games – the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
“For Milano Cortina, we have given so far 43 scholarships to Asian NOCs of which 17 are for women and 26 for men. The beneficiaries are 13 NOCs and five sports,” said Kensington.
He added: “The main target of these programmes is to help the smaller NOCs in the world to be able to assist their athletes in their dream to become Olympians.”
For Paris 2024, the IOC’s Team Support Grant has benefitted 40 teams – 21 women’s and 19 men’s - from 25 Asian NOCs.
“Once again we hope that at least half of them will be at the Paris Games,” Kensington concluded.