Tehran, Iran, December 5, 2024: The 53rd General Assembly of the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran was held on Wednesday, December 4.
In attendance at the Paralympic Hall of the NOC was Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, the President of the Iran NOC Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa, NOC Secretary General Dr. Seyed Manaf Hashemi, and other members and officials of sports federations.
The main agenda at the meeting was laying out the blueprint for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and on the roadmap for athletes to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
In his speech, NOC President Khosravi Vafa paid tribute to all the unsung heroes, saying: “The wheel of sports turns on the shoulders of those who are not seen – the families of the athletes. We must acknowledge their contribution in creating national pride.”
NOC Secretary General Dr. Seyed Hashemi emphasised the work done by the NOC, especially its executive board. “Our focus in recent times has been on the Hangzhou Asian Games and then the Paris Olympics. To prepare for both, we had more than 50 meetings with officials of national federations, and also many with the Ministry of Sports.”
The General Assembly also honoured two veteran athletes – Taghi Asgari, silver medallist in diving at the 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi, and Nasser Azmi, a former footballer.