Astana, Kazakhstan, September 1, 2025: The 6thOCA/OS Athletes Forum is all set to go in Astana with the participation of 120 delegates from 42 Asian National Olympic Committees, the IOC, various sporting organisations, and stakeholders from around the world.
The September 2-3 forum will kick-off at the Astana Blue Radisson Hotel, and will begin with a video message from IOC President Kirsty Coventry.
Other keynote speakers at the opening ceremony will be Serik Zharasbayev, Kazakhstan Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nurlan Nogerbek, Director General of Kazakhstan NOC, Ms. Emma Terho, IOC Athletes Commission Chair, and Vinod Kumar Tiwari, OCA Deputy Director General.
In a welcome message to all participants in the official programme, OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam said: “At the OCA, we put athletes at the heart of everything we do, and the Athletes Forum brings together athlete representatives from across Asia to exchange ideas, strengthen networks, and ensure that the athlete voice continues to shape the direction of sports in our region.
“Your participation and input are essential as we work to support athletes both on and off the field of play. We hope the discussion ahead inspires meaningful collaboration and lasting progress,” Al Musallam added.
OCA Athletes Committee Chair Ms. Ding Ning and Vice Chair Shiva Keshavan will be the first speakers. They will brief delegates on the work of the committee, outcomes on elections, give OCA games updates, inform about the OCA ‘Guarding the Asian Games’ initiative, and give a general overview of the forum.
They will be followed by IOC AC Chair Terho, and IOC AC Members Masomah Ali Zada and Zhang Hong giving an update on the work of the IOC Athletes Commission updates, and the IOC Athlete 365 Career+ programme.
During the two-day forum, participants will listen and discuss various issues and initiatives, among them the Effective Athletes Committees and Funding, the Power to Protect the Game is in Your Hands, the Prevention of Competition Manipulation, Play True starts with Me – what’s my Role, and the Safe Sport Culture in Asia.
Delegates will also get the opportunity to take part in the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games Fun Run on Wednesday, September 3 – an initiative of the OCA and the Aichi-Nagoya Games organisers with the support of the Kazakhstan NOC.
