Olympic leaders meet in Bangkok

BANGKOK  Roughly 1,200 members of National Olympic Committees, worldwide, are visiting Bangkok for their annual General Assembly hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports over this weekend.
According to Tourism and Sports Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the assemby highlights the link between tourism and sports, especially the Olympics, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to host destinations and generates worldwide TV viewership in the millions.
The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) is the umbrella organisation responsible for advancing the interests of tNational Olympic Committees (NOCs) worldwide. The number of NOCs now stands at 204 on five continents.
inside no 3 The General Assembly convenes once a year with all 204 NOCs sending representatives to discuss issues related to the organisation of the Olympics. The next Games are due to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The assembly will also consider initial bids to host future Olympics.
The main General Assembly is being held at the Centara Grand at CentralWorld.
Sports Authority of Thailand, Tourism Authority of Thailand and other organisations including the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) are supporting the event.
A comprehensive tour programme to showcase Thai culture and traditions is organised by ATTA using its member tour operators.
Delegates will visit the traditional tourist sites of Bangkok including the Grand Palace and the much revered Temple of the Emerald Buddha, but they will also visit sports stadiums in the capital.
SAT also will organise a cultural performance at the reception at the Royal Thai Navy Hall, 7 November, 2014. Guests will get a chance to see live demonstrations of Thai arts and crafts and experience a brief Thai spa massage.
inside no 3.1The tourism minster commented: “The General Assembly will bring together Olympic VIPs from around the world, as well as many media representatives.”
“Thailand is honoured to be hosting this important event. We have made arrangements to ensure the delegates and accompanying persons have a productive and memorable stay in Thailand.
“Sports and tourism are now becoming increasingly inter-linked. Thailand has hosted numerous important sports events over the years, especially the Asian Games. We hope that one of the fastest growing sports, Muay Thai boxing, will also become a mainstream Olympic competitive event one day,” she concluded.

sourced:ttrweekly.com