The Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) will host their 43rd Annual General Assembly and a week-long of associated events in Brisbane, Australia, from 17 to 21 April 2023 at the Sofitel Brisbane Central Hotel.
The event is jointly coordinated by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), as ONOC member and host National Olympic Committee (NOC).
Ian Chesterman, the AOC President, said, “We are honoured to host our colleagues from ONOC and across the Oceania region in Brisbane for their annual meetings and conference.”
“This gathering will provide an opportunity for the AOC to further strengthen its ties with its neighbours in Oceania,” Chesterman added.
“Step Up Oceania” Conference
A prominent feature for the week will be the “Step Up Oceania” Conference, which will be held on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 April.
A part of “Creating the Home Games Advantage”, the conference objective is to inspire key stakeholders from the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Australia, across National Olympic Committees (NOCs), National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), regional sport federations, and critical stakeholders from government, tertiary institutions, high performance centres, and potential partners and supporters.
“Step Up Oceania2 will bring together over 250 delegates in an important communication and engagement platform to explore key issues, good practises, and the latest innovations across high performance, coaching, sport science, and talent identification, with a view to transforming Oceania’s athletic performances on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Dr Robin Mitchell, President of ONOC and President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), said that the conference serves as an important forum to engage with leading high-performance experts, build strong alliances, and create key strategic actions to help create the”Home Games Advantage” on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games for Oceania.
“ONOC strongly believes that Brisbane 2032 must go beyond inspiration and must be remembered as the Games that gave the Pacific Islands a new way of thinking, a new level of outcomes, and a new level of performance that had never been seen before,” President Mitchell said.
The inaugural conference will see participation from 17 NOCs from Oceania (15 from the Pacific Island nations), five associate members, international and regional sports federations, host National Olympic and Paralympic committees, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Solidarity, ANOC, Commonwealth Sports and Commonwealth Games Australia, the Pacific Games Council, international and regional partners and agencies, South East Queensland academic institutions, and many others.
Oceania Sport and SDGs Strategic Partners Forum
On Wednesday (19 April), ONOC, in partnership with the IOC and Olympic Solidarity, will host an Oceania Sport and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Strategic Partners Forum.
The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games have the potential to deliver a significant legacy across Oceania by strengthening the role sport can play as an enabler of the SDGs.
The forum will be an important dialogue to explore the Brisbane 2032 legacies across Oceania to advance social, economic, and environmental development.
Olympic Solidarity Workshop and Olympic Marketing Seminar
On Thursday (20 April), ONOC will partner with Olympic Solidarity to deliver a series of workshops on various topics related to Olympic Movement governance, administration, marketing and development.
These workshops will provide practical guidance and tools for NOCs and other stakeholders to enhance their capacities and performance.
The Olympic Marketing Seminar will cover marketing updates for NOCs and opportunities in view of the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
43rd ONOC General Assembly
On Friday (21 April), ONOC will hold its 43rd Annual General Assembly (AGA), where members will review ONOC’s progress in the past year and discuss key issues, strategic plans, and events that are on the radar.
The General Assembly will review and approve budgetary financial reports, and receive reports from programmes, various ONOC commissions, stakeholders, and partners.
The AGA will also see the election of a new member to the ONOC Executive Board.
Support from the Queensland Government
The Queensland Government has expressed its support for ONOC’s events in Brisbane.
Stirling Hinchliffe, Queensland Minister for Sport and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympics and Paralympics Sport Engagement, said, “We are delighted to welcome ONOC’s delegates to Brisbane for their Annual General Assembly and Step Up Oceania conference.”
2Queensland is a key sporting destination and as the runway to 2032 continues, we are increasingly hosting major sporting conferences and events, like this. We look forward to working alongside leaders from Oceania to ensure 2032 will be a Games for all of Queensland, Australia and Oceania.” Hinchliffe MP added.
The week-long event will see an infusion of cultural activities and networking opportunities for delegates to foster friendship and solidarity amongst Oceania’s sporting family.
2The AOC values its close relationship with ONOC and its members, and we are committed to supporting them in their development and preparation for Brisbane 2032,” AOC President Ian Chesterman commented.
“We believe that Brisbane 2032 will be a catalyst for positive change and growth for sport in Oceania. It will be a home Games for all Oceania.” Chesterman added.
The week will also feature a host of side meetings, including the ONOC International Relations Commission Meeting, the ONOC Sustainability Commission Meeting, the ONOC Medical Commission Meeting, the Pacific Games Council Executive Meeting, the Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC) Workshop, and the Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania (OSFO) Annual General Assembly. These meetings will be held at the Sofitel Brisbane Central Hotel.
SOURCE: ONOC MEDIA/PACNEWS
