02.12.2008
Valencia, 01 December 2007 – Spain’s King Juan Carlos officially opened the 36th European Olympic Committees (EOC) General Assembly in Valencia on Thursday 29 November where Hassan Ali Bin Ali, Chairman of the Doha 2016 Bid Committee, was present for the event alongside key players from all 49 National Olympic Committees, delegates of various Organising Committees, representatives from all the 2016 Applicant Cities, President Rogge and other IOC members.
Under the leadership of EOC President Patrick Hickey, the Assembly meetings will include reports by representatives of the EOC Commissions, as well as reports from the Organising Committees of the upcoming Olympic Games including Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014.
Mr Hassan said: “The sessions with the Organising Committees will be very valuable to the Doha 2016 Bid Committee because through their reports and Q&A sessions, we will learn about the challenges faced by Organising Committees and begin thinking about how best our Bid could address these as we further develop our plans.”
“These sessions are also a great opportunity for us to gain a better understanding of the needs of the National Olympic Committees and therefore respond to these as best we can in the final Games Plan that we submit to the IOC,” he added.
Another important item on the agenda of the Assembly is the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) which aims to encourage greater youth participation in sport and simultaneously tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity. The Organising Committees of EYOF 2007, EYOF 2009 and EYOF 2011 will provide progress reports and an announcement will be made regarding candidates for EYOF 2013.
“We are looking forward to the reports by the EYOF Committees and details of their preparations for engaging young people in sport because this is an ambition we also share in Qatar. Indeed, our vision for the 2016 Games in Doha focuses on the world’s youth and seeks to inspire them to better understand each other’s cultures while also encouraging greater participation in sport through the development of state-of-the-art regional centres for elite sport in a part of the world currently underserved by such facilities” said Mr. Hassan.