DUSHANBE, May 5, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- A meeting of the Committee for International Cooperation at the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has opened in Dushanbe today morning.

Jaloliddin Nourov, an aide to the head of the Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Affairs, says the OCA director general, Mr. Husain Al-Musallam, and the OCA committee for international cooperation chairperson, Ms. Rita Subovo, arrived in Tajikistan to participate in the meeting that is considering issues related to development of the Olympic movement and international cooperation.

According to him, the vice-president of Tajikistan’s Football Federation Rustam Emomali has been elected to represent Tajikistan in the OCA committee for international cooperation.  “The OCA president Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah made a proposal on his appointment during the Guangzhou Asian Games last autumn,” Nourov said.

During its two-day visit, the OCA delegation also plans to visit sports complexes and historic and cultural sites in Tajikistan.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.  The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah.  The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1911; whereas East Timor is the newest, joining in 2003.  The headquarters of OCA are located at Kuwait City.