Associate members of the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) will enjoy the same benefits as full members at the 2017 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (5th AIMAG) to be held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
ONOC Secretary General Ricardo Blas says the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last November between ONOC, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and hosts of the 5th AIMAG, Turkmenistan National Olympic Committee opens up a lot of opportunities for associate members.
“Now they have an opportunity such as Tahiti, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna to actually come here and field a large team using the umbrella of their sporting community.
“So for Tahiti you know they are going to walk into the stadium two years from now and really identify their representation with their country and not necessarily be imposed by the French political alignment that they currently in today,” Blas said.
ONOC President Dr Robin Mitchell, Blas and representatives from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Tahiti (French Polynesia), Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, Northern Marianas, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu were guests at the 34th OCA General Assembly in Ashgabat.
The General Assembly chaired by OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah brought together the 45 National Olympic Committees of Asia and Oceania under one roof.
“To see the rest of us come together here in Turkmenistan and to have a better understanding of whats in it for them, what are the opportunities are for them and to march in a platform that basically equal their representation with the rest of the sporting community that includes Asia and to be included in this programme is a big opportunity for all of us.
“And not just one particular NOC or associate member, it includes the entire Oceania family and I’m very proud that between Dr Mitchell our president who takes the lead in moving the charge forward, gives us all that opportunity and the relationship we have with Asia- Sheikh Ahmad (President of OCA) who really was the architect behind the invitation of the ONOC members.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this historical moment participating and supporting our President Mitchell as he leads the delegation two years from now to the stadium, marching the entire Oceania family and that’s the beauty about this whole process. Its all about us in the family.
“You know the reality is that coming here is gonna cost a lot of money so we gotta plan today and focus our support for the athletes who are gonna come here.
“For many of the sports this will be their Olympic Games. This level is gonna be higher and I believe we can be competitive.”
Australia and New Zealand were not represented at this gathering.
Most of the Oceania delegates are optimistic that they will be able to send athletes to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in two years time.