MUSCAT (Oman): The President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah hoped to avoid a vote at the General Assembly on Wednesday between two candidate cities Doha (Qatar) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for the bidding to host the 21st Asian Games in 2030.
At the 74th OCA Executive Board meeting, the members authorised the OCA President to talk with officials of Doha and Riyadh.
If Sheikh Ahmad cannot find a solution in Muscat on Tuesday night, the online vote will go ahead as planned at the General Assembly on Wednesday morning.
The 39th OCA General Assembly will take place on Wednesday and the 45 National Olympic Committees are due to vote for the host city in 2030.
But Sheikh Ahmad will use all his diplomatic skills to try and avoid this scenario and hopes he can persuade one of the cities to host the Asian Games in 2030 and the other in 2034.
“I believe in the OCA that we always show solidarity and unity, and for this reason I will try to find a solution,” he said. “I have visited both cities and they are ready to host the Asian Games in 2030. They have great financial support, great sports infrastructure and great support from all levels of government.”
Sheikh Ahmad asked for the authority of the Executive Board members to attempt to find a solution with the two bid cities and received unanimous backing.
The Chairman of the OCA Advisory Committee, Ng Ser Miang of Singapore, said: “We have received the report of the OCA Evaluation Committee and it is clear we have two wonderful bids from two excellent cities. I fully support you on this.”
Mr Ng, who is a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, likened the situation to the IOC decision to award the Olympic Games to Paris in 2024 and to Los Angeles in 2028 without the need for a vote.
“In this case, all were winners and there were no losers,” he added.
