THE OUTCOME OF THE ASIAN SPORTS MINISTERS MEETING MEETING OF ASIAN SPORTS MINISTERS The Chair's Summary


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MEETING OF ASIAN SPORTS MINISTERS The Chair's Summary

August 27 2007, Osaka, Japan

(General remarks)

  The Meeting of Asian Sports Ministers was held in Osaka, Japan on August 27, 2007. This meeting came to be held for the first time through an appeal made by the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
  This meeting was attended by representatives of 26 countries in Asia (Kingdom of Bahrain, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, People's Republic of China, Republic of Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Republic of Maldives, Mongolia, Union of Myanmar, Nepal, Sultanate of Oman, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Palestine, State of Qatar, Republic of Korea, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Kingdom of Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Republic of Yemen), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF), and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Amidst a friendly atmosphere, discussions were carried out concerning current issues related to sports and future goals.
  At the beginning presentations were carried out by Japan, which chaired the meeting. The significance of promoting sports and the purport of holding this meeting to raise the spirit of sports promotion in the Asian region were emphasized, and the participants shared that recognition.

(Asian cooperation ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics)

  During Session #1, discussions were conducted on how each Asian nation is willing to cooperate in light of the 29th Olympic Games to be held in Beijing (the Beijing Olympics) next year.
  An initial presentation was delivered by China, the host country of the Beijing Olympics, and ideas directed to the success of the Olympic Games in Beijing were stressed.
  The participants emphasized the necessity of promoting sports further in each nation and the need for mutual exchanges in the Asian region for the sake of the success of the Beijing Olympics, which will be the first summertime Olympic Games to be held in the Asian region since the Seoul Olympics 20 years earlier.
  The Olympic Games have been outstanding institutions to promote educational aspects for the general public to sustain the peace and stability of the world as well as international friendship with other countries.
  Taking in a proposal by the Chair, all participants agreed to adopt the following declaration for the sake of the Beijing Olympics' success.

1.	We will strive to promote sports and raise the competitiveness of the athletes to enable athletes from various Asian countries to stand out in the Beijing Olympics.
2.	We will strive to promote international exchanges via sports to enable further exchanges to be carried out vigorously among Asian nations, as the Beijing Olympics approach.
3.	In addition, we will strive to cooperate as much as possible to enable the Beijing Olympics to thrive and be held to great success.

(The dissemination and promotion of anti-doping activities)

  During Session #2, a discussion was held concerning disseminating and promoting anti-doping activities.
  At the beginning, presentations were given by the representatives of UNESCO and WADA. The presentations stressed that doping, depending on the type of drug, can not only harm an athlete's health and cause social damage through its addictiveness but also are against the spirit of fair play. And it also takes away the social effect of sports themselves, which impress people with dream.
  The participants reconfirmed once again the importance of the anti-doping activities mentioned by WADA. It was stressed that international action is important for anti-doping and that countries that have yet to ratify “The International Convention against Doping in Sport” will be strongly expected to strive to sign the convention as promptly as possible.
  Meanwhile, the present reality is that the knowledge, know-how and equipments necessary for non-signatory Asian nations to ratify the convention are not sufficient. It also recognized that comprehensive measures should be activated to prevent doping practices. It was pointed out that we should make our best efforts to establish the framework for anti-doping cooperation in the region through dispatching and accepting researchers and experts concerned with anti-doping and exchanging information for improving testing technology, as concluded in the resolution of “the 4th Asian Region Intergovernmental Meeting on Anti-Doping in Sport “held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this May.

(The promotion of international exchanges in the field of sports)

During Session #3, the promotion of international exchanges in the field of sports was discussed.
The following recognition and views were shared:

・	Nowadays when international competitions are held in many sporting fields and opportunities to compete one's actual strength on an international stage have increased in number, not only promotion of sports in each nation but also cross-border undertakings are necessary to raise the standards of competitiveness.
・	International exchanges via sports, along with raising international competitiveness, contribute towards the cultivation of human resources who possess an international mind, and friendship towards other countries.
・	It is important for the youth to learn how to sustain the peace and stability in a global context through promotion of international sports exchanges.
・	International exchanges of information should be seriously considered in the fields of traditional games and sports, sports policies and national plans, health development, and social networks among Asian higher authorities.

  It was suggested that Asian Sports Ministers should recognize the importance of the peace and stability through sports such as the global initiative “Peace through Sport” proposed by Jordan Olympic Committee. And Asian Sports Ministers should encourage fellow Asian countries and other countries to support and take part in this initiative.
  Several participants expressed that it is important to render necessary support to developing countries so as to improve standards of sports environment in Asia as a whole.
  The formation of “Asian Sports Ministers Union” was suggested.

(The continuous organization of future meetings of Asian sports ministers)

  Participants concurred the Chair's suggestion that this type of meeting ought to be held continuously from now on, given the fact that this one has been extremely meaningful and significant to develop further international friendship and the promotion of sports in the Asian region.
  In the near future, more specific subgroups or working groups ought to be established in order to solve the present and potential problems in the fields of sports.
  Islamic Republic of Iran expressed their willingness to accommodate this meeting next time. All the participants accepted their offer and are expected to gather in Teheran, in the future.

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