Latest news with #VinodTiwari
Daily Tribune
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
All Systems Go: Bahrain Confirms Full Readiness for Asian Youth Games 2025
The Countdown Is On At a press conference held yesterday afternoon at The Art Hotel & Resort, top officials from the Bahrain Asian Youth Games Organizing Committee (BAYGOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) reaffirmed the Kingdom's full readiness to host the 3rd Asian Youth Games (AYG), which will take place from October 22 to 31. The event followed a high-level Technical Delegates meeting on Wednesday, where logistical, technical, and operational plans were thoroughly reviewed and greenlit. 'This is a tournament that usually takes four to five years to prepare,' Faris Al Kooheji told TDT. 'But with the OCA's support and our team's dedication, we've managed to pull it together in record time. Not only are we hosting—we're competing to finish in the Top 5.' Forging Olympic Futures Vinod Tiwari, Deputy Director General of the OCA, emphasized the tournament's long-term significance, calling it 'sustainable games for the youth of Asia.' 'This event will give rise to the future champions of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics and Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games,' he said. 'It's a springboard for Asia's next generation.' Record Numbers, Global Reach The AYG will bring together over 2,000 athletes aged 14–17 from 45 countries, competing across 24 sports and 31 disciplines—from athletics and swimming to judo, boxing, and the debut of Esports, a reflection of the changing landscape of youth engagement. Yousif Duaij Muhroofi, Chairman of BAYGOC, praised the coordination between teams and readiness across all sectors. 'Preparations are progressing extremely well, and every department is functioning as one unit,' he said. A Platform That Goes Beyond Sport Ahmed AbdulGhaffar, Deputy Chair of BAYGOC, captured the spirit of the event: 'This competition is a celebration of potential. The youth of Asia deserve a world-class platform, and Bahrain is proud to be that stage.' The Bottom Line
Daily Tribune
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Powers Ahead in Asian Youth Games 2025 Preparations
TDT | Manama With just five months to go until the curtain rises on the 3rd Asian Youth Games (AYG) 2025, Bahrain took another confident stride forward as a high-level Technical Delegation (TD) meeting was held yesterday to ensure all systems are ready to go. Led by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Deputy Director General Vinod Tiwari, the session brought together key stakeholders from the Bahrain Asian Youth Games Organizing Committee (BAYGOC) to fine-tune logistics for the October 22–31 spectacle. 'We're hoping to have a very successful Asian Youth Games in Bahrain,' said Tiwari. 'We hope to mainly educate the kids because there are minors with lots of potential.' A Turn of Destiny Originally awarded to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the 3rd edition of the AYG found a new home in Bahrain following delays in infrastructure in the original host city. In December 2024, the OCA officially chose Bahrain as the new host, impressed by its successful 2024 ISF Gymnasiade and world class venues like Khalifa Sports City, Bahrain International Circuit, and the Royal Golf Club. Strategic Meeting Sets the Stage Yesterday's TD meeting brought together a powerhouse of officials, including BAYGOC Chairman Yousif Duaij Muhoorfi and Deputy Chair Ahmed Abdulghaffar. The agenda covered critical touchpoints: athlete accommodation, accreditation systems, transportation, and anti-doping measures. The Bahrain Olympic Committee later confirmed that every department is well on track to deliver a seamless event. Tiwari, a familiar figure in the Asian sports circuit, emphasized the importance of synchronization across departments, echoing his leadership during past events such as AIMAG 6 in Bangkok.
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
At ‘Floating Village' for 2026 Asian Games in Japan, athletes will be briefed on dealing with tsunamis and typhoons
Thousands of athletes at next year's Asian Games will compete on land and stay on water. In a first, the organising committee of the 2026 Asiad, to be held in Japan, have created a 'floating' Athletes' Village after it was decided that nearly one-third of the total 15,000 athletes and officials will be housed on a luxury cruise ship that will be docked at the Nagoya Port. The host city, the capital of Aichi prefecture, has a population of 2.3 million. The organisers said they decided against constructing a Games-specific infrastructure to cut costs. The 'floating village' will have all the usual amenities — from dining halls and gymnasiums to medical services and free internet. But amidst the fun at the Games, the athletes — even as they soak in the unmatched views of the Pacific Ocean — will be briefed on how to cope if the waters turn violent. With the 2026 Asian Games scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya, considered to be the peak typhoon season, the Organising Committee is preparing a 'contingency plan to evacuate athletes in case of tsunami, typhoons or natural disasters', two senior Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officials told The Indian Express. Last month, during a meeting of the Asian Games Coordination Committee in Nagoya, the delegations of 45 participating nations were briefed about the emergency evacuation plans and temporary accommodation, along with a detailed advisory outlining do's and don'ts. 'The Japanese authorities are very experienced in dealing with natural disasters, and the OCA has every confidence that they will take adequate measures, especially in informing the athletes of the contingency plans,' Vinod Tiwari, the Deputy Director General of the OCA, told The Indian Express. Tayyab Ikram, the chairman of the Asian Games Coordination Committee, said 'Nagoya is more exposed to these kinds of natural disasters than Tokyo', which hosted the Olympic Games in 2021. 'We visited a couple of premises that can be used as shelters. We spent a lot of time discussing evacuation plans and management in case of an unfortunate, natural occurrence,' Ikram told this daily, adding that the local officials provided them 'full data' on the previous instances. According to the Nagoya University Disaster Mitigation Research Centre, 'as a coastal city with many rivers, Nagoya is particularly vulnerable to flooding in the event of a tsunami.' The city is also susceptible to typhoons in the season roughly from May to October, peaking in August and September. In 2019, when Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup, three matches were unprecedentedly cancelled owing to Typhoon Hagibis, which killed more than 100 people and caused flooding. Even during the 2021 Olympics, contingency plans were made to evacuate athletes in case of a natural disaster like an earthquake, given the high seismic activity in Japan as the country sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. The emergency measures for the Asian Games were further necessitated after it was decided to use cruise ships for accommodation rather than constructing apartments to house athletes. Tiwari said 4,600 athletes and officials—roughly one-third of the total 15,000 participants—would stay on a luxury cruise liner docked at the Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya. Another 2,400 athletes and officials will be accommodated at a pier roughly 15 minutes from the cruise ship. Tiwari and Ikram hailed the concept of the 'Floating Village' and added that it could be a 'possible guidance for future editions'. 'We believe the cruise ship will become the symbol of the 20th Asian Games – a striking focal point and the first luxury 'Floating Village' in the history of the OCA,' Tiwari said. 'For many athletes, it will be a 'once in a lifetime' experience to stay on a cruise ship – not just the accommodation but the camaraderie of the athletes from different sports and different NOCs (National Olympic Committees). It will be truly a unique and exciting experience.' However, staying at the shore will present unique challenges, especially in the typhoon season. Ikram said that following consultations with the local organisers, it was decided that all 'athletes will be properly briefed and demonstrations will be conducted to educate them.' Tiwari added: 'Regarding the cruise ship, in case of a natural disaster such as a typhoon, the cruise ship will evacuate from the Port of Nagoya to the open sea with athletes and team officials. This is according to the Nagoya Port regulations.' 'Regarding the athletes and officials staying in the Asian Games Villas (temporary container homes) at Garden Pier, 6.5km from Kinjo Pier, athletes will evacuate to the nearest evacuation point. Transportation will then be arranged to relocate them to temporary accommodation such as hotels and other facilities.' The officials added that 'the safety and well-being of our athletes is always the top priority, not only for the OCA but also for the organising committee.' 'The only concern is that there will be only one gangway onto the cruise ship, and the OCA is asking if there can be a second gangway to make sure there is no congestion entering or leaving the ship,' Tiwari said. 'The organising committee will express this concern to the cruise ship company and hope that a solution can be found in time for this special mission.'
