His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Olympic Committee and First Deputy Chairman of the National Olympic Committees (Anuk), announced his official candidacy for the presidency of the Asian Olympic Council, as part of his keenness to contribute to the development of Asian sport and enhance its unity and cohesion during the next stage.
This announcement came in the wake of the opening of the Asian Olympic Council to run for the presidential elections on July 15, 2025, in preparation for the holding of the next general assembly that will be held in January 2026 in the city of Tashkent.
On this occasion, His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Raja Rander Singh, the current president of the Asian Olympic Council, praising his great contributions and his leadership role in serving Asian sport during his tenure, and his constant keenness to consolidate the principles of teamwork and cooperation between the Asian Olympic committees. His Excellency also expressed his full support for the decision of the Executive Office of the Asian Olympic Council to appoint His Excellency Mr. Raja Rander Singh as a lifelong president of the council, in appreciation of his long career and his firm legacy in the service of the Asian Olympic Movement.
His Excellency stressed in this context that his candidacy for the presidency stems from his deep belief in the role of sport as a means of development and rapprochement between peoples, and his conviction established by the ability of Asian sport to achieve qualitative leaps in the fields of governance, sustainability, digital transformation, and empowerment of athletes.
His Excellency also stressed the importance of enhancing a balance in distributing opportunities, expanding the circle of cooperation between the Olympic Committees, upgrading sports infrastructure, and providing larger platforms for youth and women to participate in formulating the future of sport in Asia.
His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani is based on an ambitious strategic vision for the development of Asian sport, based on five main axes, namely solidarity, digital transformation, sustainable development, credibility, economic flexibility, and finance. This vision reflects the experience of his long happiness in sports work, his rich record in the leadership of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and his prominent role in the International Olympic Movement, especially through his position as the first deputy president of the National Olympic Committees Union (Anuk).
It is expected that the upcoming elections of the Asian Olympic Council will witness great attention from sports circles, in light of the challenges facing global sport, and the need for effective leadership that enhances transparency and integration within the Asian sports system.
The Asian Olympic Council is one of the most prominent continental sports bodies, as it includes 45 national Olympic committees, and plays a pivotal role in coordinating sports work between various Asian countries, supporting development efforts, activating cooperation initiatives in the fields of governance and sports management, and upgrading infrastructure and institutional capabilities of the Olympic Committees.
The Asian Olympic Council, which was established in the year 1982 and is based in Kuwait City, supervises the organization of many groups collected such as the Asian Games, the Asian Winter Games, the Asian Games for Hall and Martial Arts, the Asian Beach Games, the Asian Youth Games and other championships that enhance the status of Asian sport on the international scene.