Monday 26 / January / 2026
Muscat: Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar was on Monday elected President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) during the OCA General Assembly in the Uzbekistan city of Tashkent. Sheikh Joan became the 22nd President to serve the Olympic Movement in Asia since the first ever multisport Games were held in 1913.
The election was held at the 46th OCA General Assembly in Tashkent, with the 45 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in attendance as well as President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) secretary general Abdullah bin Mohammed Bamkhalif along with board member Marwan bin Juma Al Juma represented Oman at the OCA General Assembly.
Sheikh Joaan, who also serves as ANOC Senior Vice President and Qatar Olympic Committee President, outlined his vision – Together for Asia – to the NOCs committing to strengthening solidarity and development throughout Asia, support athletic excellence, promote good governance, embrace innovation responsibly ensure OCA events and programmes are sustainable, inclusive, and credible, grow international representation to promote Asia’s interests and position sport as a universal language of peace, mutual respect, and cultural understanding.
Sheikh Joaan said: “Asia is the largest and most diverse continent within the Olympic family. This diversity is our greatest strength. But it also requires us to work in unity, guided by mutual respect and our shared commitment to the Olympic values. Through unity, we transform diversity into opportunity. We empower our National Olympic Committees and we provide a platform for our youth to excel on the world’s sporting stage.
“Together, let’s work towards a more united, stronger, and successful OCA. Together for Asia.”
Sheikh Joaan will serve as President for the remaining term after former OCA President Randhir Singh of India stood down due to his health reasons.
Sheikh Joaan commended the role Singh played for the OCA, stating: “I wish to express my sincere appreciation to my dear friend His Excellency Mr. Raja Randhir Singh for his leadership, vision, and tireless efforts during challenging times.”
During the assembly, it was also approved that Qatar will host the 47th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia next year, with the date to be announced later. The assembly witnessed the signing of hosting agreements for the Asian Youth Games in 2029 in Tashkent and in 2031 in Cambodia, in addition to reviewing the preparatory reports for upcoming events, including the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China 2026, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Saudi Arabia, and the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
