Collaboration key at Asia Athletes’ Forum

28 | 11 | 2018

Athletes and Olympians from across Asia gathered in the Olympic city of Tokyo this week for the Olympic Council of Asia Athletes’ Forum, funded by the Olympic Solidarity and co-delivered by the IOC and OCA Athletes’ Commissions.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games fast approaching, the event presented a great opportunity to promote the role and voice of athletes and Olympians within the Olympic Movement. 

Attending the meeting on behalf of WOA were Executive Committee member Mikako Kotani OLY and WOA’s NOA Development Officer, Jovina Choo OLY, both of whom are responsible for maintaining relationships across Asia’s NOAs.

To demonstrate WOA’s and the Continental Athletes’ Forums' encouragement of collaboration between NOAs and NOCs, Mikako Kotani was also invited to speak at the event. In her address to 79 athletes and Olympians from 44 Asia NOCs, of which more than 50% were women, she highlighted how NOCs and NOAs can work more closely together, in much the same way WOA and the IOC Athletes’ Commission do at a global level.

She also highlighted the WOA programmes including OLY and the Olympians Health Survey as well as some of the many fantastic collaborations that are already taking place across the continent, which are seeing Olympians take a leading role in shaping the future of the Olympic Movement.

During the Forum Olympians received their OLY recognition and were presented with their OLY pins. Just like PhD and other post-nominal designations, OLY letters can be used on official documentation, CVs, business cards, social media and anywhere a name appears. As an Olympian, you can apply for OLY recognition by registering your details HERE.
 
Also, many of the participants, after learning about the first-ever Olympians long-term health study took the time to participate. Over 4500 Olympians from around the world have now taken part. If you’ve retired from Olympic-level sport you can fill in WOA’s short online HERE.

“It was exciting to host Olympians from around the world in my home city of Tokyo this week and to be invited to speak at the OCA Athletes’ Forum to outline some of the wonderful work being carried out by WOA and its member associations across Asia”, said Mikako.

“For example, in the lead up to Tokyo 2020, the Olympians Association of Japan, supported by the Japanese Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, is working hard to ensure the Games are a catalyst for more Olympians to get involved at all levels of sport after they have retired, which is great for the country and for Olympians.”