Astana, Kazakhstan, September 3, 2025: The curtain came down on the 6thOCA/OS Athletes Forum in Astana on Wednesday, September 3, and the verdict on the two days of interactive meetings and workshops was a universal ‘Thumbs Up’.
Athlete representatives from 42 National Olympic Committees across Asia were upbeat at the outcome of the packed schedule with the common feeling being that it was a highly productive event which will result in athletes around the continent benefiting from future programmes that will help their sporting careers as well as life post-competition.
“This was a great opportunity for all of us (Athletes Committees) to get together and engage with one another as well as with key stakeholders like the IOC, the OCA and other sporting organisations,” said Husein Alireza, a member of the OCA Athletes Committee, from Saudi Arabia.
“We may come from different countries, but you will find that the problems athletes face are very similar issues. So it was good to share ideas, to collaborate and come up with solutions,” Alireza added.
The two-day Forum got underway on September 2 with an encouraging video message from IOC President Kirsty Coventry, and a boost from OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari who in his opening remarks to the assembly announced an increase in funding for the OCA’s Athlete Centred Project Fund.
This was followed by updates on upcoming OCA Games, including the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, key sessions by IOC officials on Olympic Solidarity grants, Athlete 365 and Athlete Career+ programmes, and funding available for Athletes Committees.
On the second day, the focus was on the OCA’s ‘Safeguarding the Asian Games’ initiative with comprehensive presentations on anti-doping, safeguarding, and the prevention of competition manipulation.
Sardana Zhendrinskaia, Deputy Secretary General of the Children of Asia Games also made a presentation.
“One of the programmes that will be really useful to athletes in the Philippines was the Athlete 365 initiative as it is very much tailored for our national athletes and can show them that there can be a life after sports,” said Inna Kristianne Palacios, Vice Chair of the Athletes Committee of the Philippines NOC.
Former Sri Lankan badminton star and Chair of the Athletes Committee of the Sri Lanka NOC, Niluka Karunaratne said he had benefited hugely from the Forum. “It is important that athletes have a safe environment to perform and the takeaways from the anti-doping presentation here will be useful,” Karunaratne said.
OCA Athletes Committee Member Ng Shayna from Singapore was pleased that the Forum would “empower athletes who are the most important stakeholders and make their voices heard.”
The Forum ended with all the Athletes Committees in Asia unanimous in their opposition to the use of performance enhancing drugs as seen at the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas, United States in May.
