OCA elects Sheikh Talal as new President
OCA elects Sheikh Talal as new President: Following a ballot marred by charges of corruption, Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah was elected as the next President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Sheikh Talal replaces his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021 when he was forced to step down after being found guilty of forgery in a court in Geneva and sentenced to at least 13 months in prison.
Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 2023
Sheikh Talal, 58, defeated Kuwaiti Husain Al-Musallam, the organization’s director general and President of World Aquatics, by a vote of 24 to 20 at the OCA General Assembly in Bangkok. Sheikh Talal’s election means that the House of Sabah retains control of the OCA.
About the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
His father, Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, created the OCA in 1982 and headed it until 1990, when he was assassinated defending Dasman Palace on the first day of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current President is Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
During the 1948 Summer Olympics, Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) decided to organise the Asian Games, which would be overseen by the Asian Games Federation. The Asian Games Federation was formed the following year. Decades later this would be reorganized and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) was established in New Delhi on 16 November 1982. The International Olympic Committee recognized the OCA within the same year.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) together with the Asian Sports Federation (AESF) announced a new campaign for the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. The campaign, ‘Road to Asian Games’ will be officially organized by the AESF and aims to bring the Olympic spirit to eSports and introduce an education program for participating eSports athletes.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Olympic Council of Asia Headquarters: Kuwait City, Kuwait;
- Olympic Council of Asia President: Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah;
- Membership: 45 National Olympic Committees;
- Olympic Council of Asia Founded: 16 November 1982, New Delhi;
- Olympic Council of Asia Motto: Ever Onward.