DUSHANBE, July 31, Asia-Plus  -- On Saturday July 29, Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) President Bahrullo Rajabaliyev and China’s Olympic Committee Vice-President Yu Jaitsin signed in Dushanbe a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sports cooperation.  

Following the document-signing ceremony, Mr. Rajabaliyev noted that the Memorandum was a first step towards expansion of cooperation between the Olympic Committee of the two countries.  “We have a lot to learn from our Chinese colleagues in holding of various sports events ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games that will be held in Beijing ,” Rajabaliyev noted.  

The Tajik NOC Secretary General Shirin Mamadsafoyev has told Asia-Plus that the document has a general character and provides for exchange of sports delegations and experts, mutual support for development of the Olympics movement, exchange of information about international Olympic movement, holding of joint training courses, etc.  

A China ’s sports delegation will leave Dushanbe on July 31.  During its stay in Dushanbe the Chinese delegation will visit a number of sport facilities as well as some mountain areas in order to study the possibility of the construction of a joint training base for alpine skiers.