Vladivostok (Russia), Aug 2 (IANS) The 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), to be held here next month, will provide an important platform for expanding international cooperation in the field of sports as discussions will be held on development of Olympic movement and impact of major sports events on the Asia-Pacific Region.
The EEF, to be hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be held from September 4 to 6.
As part of the EEF’s business programme, a session ‘Olympism and the Asia-Pacific: Mutual Influence’ will be held. It will be attended by Pere Miró, IOC Deputy Director General; Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee and four-time Olympic champion in fencing; Yasuhiro Yamashita, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and judo Olympic champion; Lee Kee-Heung, President of the Korean Olympic Committee and IOC member.
Koji Murofushi, Sports Director for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Organizing Committee and hammer throw Olympic champion, will also participate in the session.
A cooperation agreement between the Russian and Japanese Olympic Committees will be signed at the EEF, said a press statement issued on Friday. IANS will be the media partner of the EEF.
“The Eastern Economic Forum has become a powerful, productive platform for discussion of development of the key regional industries and implementation of major international projects,” Pozdnyakov said, according to the press statement
“In sports, there are no competitions that could compare in scale and significance to the Olympics; the Games can have a real impact on solving political, economic and social issues, as well as contribute to peace, progress, mutual cultural integration and rapprochement of peoples,” he said.
“Bearing in mind that from 2018 to 2022, the Olympics are being hosted by APR (Asia Pacific Region) countries, for us, EEF is a great opportunity to expand cooperation with national Olympic committees and organizing committees of the hosting states,” said the President of the Russian Olympic Committee.
About the agreement to be signed between the Olympic Committees of Russia and Japan in Vladivostok, he said, “It is a very important thing. It will allow to tone up the process of preparation of our athletes that might represent the country in Tokyo 2020, (and) efficiently and thoroughly implement key projects and programmes aimed at achieving best results.”
The most important thing, Pozdnyakov said is that “such interaction format turns our relations into a trusting and constructive dialogue for discussion of all relevant matters.”
It may be noted that a similar cooperation agreement was signed at EEF 2018 by Pozdnyakov and Gou Zhongwen, Head of the Chinese Olympic Committee. The ceremony was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Eastern Economic Forum is held annually with the objective of facilitating the accelerated development of the Russian Far East’s economy and expanding international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
–IANS
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