Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) and Divonne-les-Bains Town Mayor Vincent Scattolin are pleased to announce that Divonne-les-Bains has been identified as a preferred training site for Oceania NOCs prior to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our community to be able to support athletes and coaches from the Oceania region and the Pacific Islands prior to the Paris Olympic Games,” Mayor Scatollin said.
“Divonne has a long history of supporting international teams and events and will certainly provide the necessary facilities for these countries and NOCs to be properly prepared for Paris 2024.”
The announcement is a result of ONOC completing its second inspection tour of Divonne-les-Bains last week which included its President, Robin Mitchell (Fiji), its Secretary General, Ricardo Blas (Guam), and Executive Director Inoke Bainimarama (Fiji).
“We are extremely grateful to Divonne-les-Bains and their willingness to support our respective NOCs,” Dr. Mitchell said.
“We have certainly been impressed with the resources the Town is able to offer in order to make it a successful training experience for our athletes,” Dr Mitchell added.
ONOC consists of 17 countries and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) including American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papa New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Targeted sports will include Athletics, Rugby, Judo, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Table Tennis, Swimming, and Weightlifting, with additional sports to be confirmed during the first quarter of 2024 after the completion of international qualifying events.
Specific training dates will also be confirmed early next year by each participating NOC ranging from as early as the end of June 2024 to a few days prior to the Opening Ceremonies of Paris 2024 which commences on 26 July 2024.
“The culture and training environment Divonne has to offer will undoubtably make a difference for our NOCs and their athletes as they acclimatise from their home bases in the Pacific,” Secretary General Blas commented. “For which we are sincerely grateful to Mayor Scattolin and the Divonne-les-Bains Town Council,” he added.
SOURCE: ONOC/PACNEWS
