The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Executive Council Aug. 4 during its 70th meeting in Rio de Janeiro expressed its full support to IOC President Thomas Bach and the decisions taken during the 129th IOC Session ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The ANOC Executive Council, with the support of the city of San Diego, also approved the decision to move the first edition of the ANOC World Beach Games to 2019 to ensure that NOCs and IFs have the optimum time to prepare their athletes for the inaugural event.
The ANOC General Assembly unanimously approved San Diego (with most of the action to take place in Mission Beach) as the host of the 2017 edition in October last year and over the last eight months has embarked on an intense period of consultation with San Diego, NOCs and IFs. While excellent progress has been made, and San Diego is in a position to deliver the event in 2017, it was mutually agreed that postponing the event would be to the benefit of all stakeholders. The ANOC General Assembly in 2019 will also be held in San Diego, which will place additional hosting requirements on the city.
Vincent E. Mudd, chairman of the San Diego Local Organizing Committee added:
“We fully support the decision to move the ANOC World Beach Games to 2019 to give NOCs and athletes more time to prepare for the event. As the hosts of the first edition, it is important that we set the benchmark for all future editions. “We are fortunate in San Diego to have some of the most iconic beaches in the world and we have no doubt they will provide a breath-taking setting for the first ever ANOC World Beach Games in 2019. We look forward to welcoming the world to our city for an unforgettable and unique sporting experience.”
Speaking after the ANOC Executive Council meeting, ANOC president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said:
“ANOC fully supports the decision taken by the IOC Session over the last three days in Rio de Janeiro. We are fully committed to working under the leadership of IOC President Bach and the IOC to ensure that we provide the best possible support to the world’s NOCs.
“That is also why after careful consideration, the ANOC Executive Council, with the support of San Diego, has taken the decision to move the first edition of the ANOC World Beach Games to 2019. We are committed to working with all our stakeholders to deliver the best possible event which will benefit the NOCs, their athletes and the entire Olympic Movement and we believe that moving the event to 2019 will allow us to do that.
“The ANOC World Beach Games is part of ANOC’s long-term vision to enhance the support and opportunities we can provide NOCs and their athletes, particularly around engaging more young people in sport. Moving the event to 2019 will not just benefit NOCs and their athletes but by giving them more time to prepare for the event we can guarantee that millions of spectators around the world will enjoy and be inspired by even greater performances.” The ANOC World Beach Games is a multi-sport event that could capture the imagination of young people around the world by leveraging the growing interest in and popularity of exciting, youth-centric beach sports. The event will unite all 206 of the world’s NOCs, with up to 2,500 athletes set to compete in a variety of fresh and exhilarating beach sports.