Sanya, China, April 21, 2026: The President of the Olympic Council of Asia, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, welcomed OCA Executive Board members to the 109th OCA EB meeting in Sanya on Tuesday, April 21.
“It is a pleasure to be here with you,” Sheikh Joaan said at the start of the meeting, which was held at the Conifer Resort – OCA HQ hotel for the 6th Asian Beach Games which begin on Wednesday, April 22.
“We have a lot of things to get through but in general I thank everyone for being here. I would also like to thank the People’s Republic of China for hosting the Asian Beach Games on this beautiful island and in Sanya.”
The meeting approved the minutes of the 108th OCA EB meeting in Kuwait on February 15, 2026 before hearing a progress report from the organising committee AINAGOC of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan this September 19 to October 4.
AINAGOC Secretary General Satoshi Murate said that, with the recent addition of padel and teqball, the sports programme stood at 43 sports, 70 disciplines and 468 events. He reported that ticket sales were “very strong” and that some events had already sold out.
AINAGOC reported on promotional activities such as the Asian Games Fun Run held at the refurbished Mizuho Athletics Stadium last Saturday, April 18, and the Open Day for National Olympic Committees.
Acting Director General Yasuhiro Nakamori explained the “look and feel” of the Asian Games and the city dressing on trains and buses, as well as at the main train station and international airport. On the marketing and sponsorship front, he said AINAGOC had secured 49 partners – seven Tier One, nine Tier Two, 10 Tier Three and 23 Tier Four.
The Chair of the OCA Coordination Committee for the 20th Asian Games, Mr. Tayyab Ikram, said AINAGOC had come a long way in their preparations and were focusing on an athlete-centred event. “Aichi-Nagoya deserves great appreciation,” he said.
With a cruise ship docked in Nagoya Port, along with temporary Asian Games Villas serving as the Athletes’ Village, Mr. Ikram said this new concept had created “an excellent environment”, and added that teqball and padel would enhance the visibility of the Games.
Secretary General Satoshi Murate concluded: “We are fully committed to making the Asian Games a big success.”
*In other news, OCA President Sheikh Joaan said the OCA would form an evaluation team to visit both Mongolia and India and assess bids for various OCA Games. Following his meeting with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, on Monday, Sheikh Joaan said Malaysia was keen to host the Asian Beach Games in Johor.
Sheikh Joaan thanked OCA Vice President Dr. Norza Zakaria for facilitating meetings with His Majesty the King Sultan Ibrahim and with the Prime Minister, which had produced positive results for the OCA.
*The next OCA General Assembly will be held in Doha, Qatar on January 27, 2027, when the OCA will elect a President for an eight-year term from 2027-2035. The deadline for nominations is June 30, 2026. The Executive Board will be elected in 2028.
*The signing ceremony with the Philippine Olympic Committee for the 7th Asian Beach Games to be held in Cebu and Lapu-Lapu City will take place on April 27.
*The OCA EB approved the nomination of Mr. Kudrat Shamiyev as Vice President for the 10th Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2029. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the NOC of the Republic of Kazakhstan and also President of the Taekwondo Federation of Kazakhstan.
