(ATR)More than 1,000 delegates representing 204 NOCs are heading home after the annual two-day ANOC General Assembly closed on Friday in Doha.
ANOC congratulated the Qatar Olympic Committee and its president H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani for the "excellent" hosting and organization of the inaugural ANOC World Beach Games, which preceded the 24th General Assembly in the Qatari capital.
IOC president Thomas Bach called the meeting "very fruitful and harmonious."
"Let’s continue to work in this united way of friendship," Bach urged the NOC leaders. Bach also delivered the keynote address at the opening of the session encouraging universality through "unity in diversity" and "political neutrality", all vital to the Olympic Movement.
ANOC secretary general Gunilla Lindberg tells Around the Rings that relationships among the 204 NOCs are stronger than ever.
"I think this general assembly really proved that we are tight, we are cooperating," Lindberg said shortly after the close of the meeting. "For all our NOCs – and with what is happening in our countries – they also have on our agenda to promote the Olympic values, to promote athletes and prepare them for the Games.
"The Olympic Movement is so much more than the Olympic Games, so I think the unity expressed today by different people – and especially the speech of President Bach – was very much that all the stakeholders should work together and we should remain an un-political organization.
"Still we need good governance and the mission to cooperate with governments, but we should not fight with the governments," the Swedish IOC member said.
With ANOC acting president Robin Mitchell leading the two-day affair, agenda items 15 through 27 were swiftly completed at just past 3pm on Friday afternoon. There were minimal interventions for discussion over the course of the two days.
The second day of the session was highlighted by progress reports from future Olympic Games hosts Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, Milan-Cortina 2026 and Youth Olympic Games hosts Lausanne 2020 and Dakar 2022.
Reports were also provided by the ANOC Athletes Commission, Culture and Education Commission, International Relations Commission, Marketing Commission, Medical Commission and IOC/NOC relations.
Other news included a presentation revealing that the IOC Solidarity Program will provide $46.7 million to NOCs and athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Games, an increase of more than 20 percent from Rio 2016. New grants of $15,000 per NOC will also be allocated for pre-Olympic training camps.
ANOC accepted the World Anti-Doping Code and confirmed its agreements with the principles of the Code and agreeing to implement and comply with the Code now that the NOC member organization is also a games organizer.
Numerous resolutions noted at the end of the session included ANOC fully endorsing the importance of different Continental Games and the value provided through the Continental Associations and their member NOC’s.
ANOC also approved the continuance of joint efforts to assist NOC’s in the development of marketing capacities and revenue opportunities to support the mission of Olympism.
There were also presentations given by the University Sports Federation (FISU) and the World Games Association (WGA) looking ahead to Birmingham 2021.
Jordan Olympic Committee president Prince Feisal Al Hussein encouraged NOCs who haven’t yet completed a gender equity survey to do so.
Honorary IOC member Raja Randhir Singh was wished a warm happy birthday near the end of the session to which president Bach joked that Mr. Singh was a was one of the founding members of the IOC.
At the closing of proceedings it was announced that the 25th ANOC General Assembly will be held next year in the 1988 Olympic city of Seoul, South Korea. The meeting will mark the centennial anniversary of the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee.
Written and reported by Brian Pinelli in Doha, Qatar
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