General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees

The FIPV obliged to the kind invitation of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, President of ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees) to attend the 20thGeneral Assembly held in Washington DC on October 29 and 30, 2015.

Said meeting of Global Olympic Committees and International Federations gathered 1,300 participants and observers from 206 countries and had the presence of 28 Presidents of International Federations, as well as 42 members of the IOCC, including its Chairman, Thomas BACH.

The FIPV delegation comprised of Xavier Cazaubon, President, Jean Michel Idiart Vice-President of Expansion and Development and Jose Adolfo Murat Economic Vice-President used its stay in the American capital to hold work meetings with various authorities of international sports and the Olympic world. With the support of Julio Maglione, President of PASO(Pan-American Sports Organization),President of the International Swimming Federation, member of the IOC and Mr. Olegario Vázquez Raña, President of the International Shooting Sport Federation and member of the IOC, the FIPV delegation was received in private hearings and separately by the Chairman of the IOC, Thomas Bach and by Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al Sabah Vice-President of the IOC(International Olympic Committee),Chairman of ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees) and Chairman of OCA (Olympic Committees of Asia).

It also held work meetings and exchanges with the Presidents of the Olympic Committee of Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Spain, France, Guatemala, Guinea, Mexico, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Russia, Senegal, Uruguay, Venezuela and the Secretaries of the Olympic Committees of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico. The FIPV also held a long meeting with the President of the World Games and member of the IOC, José Perurena as well as several members of the IOC: Tony Estanguet (France), Mamadou D Ndiaye (Senegal), Iván Dibos (Peru), Randir Singh(India),Syed Shadid Ali (Pakistan),Alexander D Zhukov (Russia),Sam Ramsamy(South Africa),Patrick Bauman (Switzerland), Carlos Nuzman (Brazil). With each of them, we made a presentation of our sports and our wish to integrate the Olympic family, developing closer relations. We also held exchanges with Presidents of International Federations and El HadjAmadouDia Ba Primer Vice-President of the World Olympian Association.

The balance of the mission can be regarded as highly positive, as it allowed to present the FPIV work plan to Presidents BACH and AHMAD AL-FAHAD, and also the changes that the team in charge of the institution has implemented since October2014. President BACH insisted in the need of developing good governance based on the Olympic charter and the 40-point work plan approved in November2014 by the IOC and known as the 2020 Plan.Sheik AHMAD AL FAHAD was particularly enthusiastic about our wish to seek expansion in new continents such as Asia and Africa by developing a sports with a significant social impact. He appointed Husain Al Musallam, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia as the liaison with the FIPVand invited us to Vietnam to the next General Assembly of OCA(Olympic Council of Asia) en 2016 to make a presentation of our sports before the 45 Olympic Committees of the organism, and also invited the Federation as observer for the 21st General Assembly of ANOC to be held in DOHA (Qatar) in 2016.

With PASO and ODESUR we held very positive meetings, confirming the presence of Pelota in the Lima 2019 and Cochabamba 2018 competitions. We also accepted the invitation from the President of the Olympic Committee of Peru, Jose Quiñones, to participate as observers in the next General Assembly of ODESUR in Lima on December3 and 4. With the President of ODECABE, Héctor Cardona, we have agreed, in the presence of Mr. Olegario Vázquez Rañaand Carlos Padilla, to continue the actions lead by the Olympic Committee of Mexico to confirm our presence in Barranquilla 2018.Last, we have started talks with the Presidents of the Olympic Committees of Chile, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay for Pelota to be introduced in the South American Youth Games to be held in Chile in 2017.

The FIPV also accepted the invitation from President Zhukov and Elena Anikina, Director of International Cooperation of the Olympic Committee of Russia to visit their country in March 2016 to meet with the highest authorities of Russian sports. We will follow up with a mission in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

At the request of the Chairman of the CNOSF (French National Olympic and Sports Committee) Denis Masseglia, the President of FIPV has been invited on November10 to Paris, to the headquarters of CNOSF, for a working breakfast with Bernard Lapasset, Chairman of the IRBand President of Olympic Ambition, the Association championing the candidacy of Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

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See photos in flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHskjZabxC