http://maigoc2007.sports.sina.com.cn 2006-03-03 MAIGOC
After a few days in Doha sticking to the Chef-de-Mission Meeting of the 15th Asian Games, delegates of the Macau Olympic Committee (MOC) were joining the others on March 1 in a tour to the competition venues and accommodation facilities, among which, the 290,000m2 Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence was catching their eyes. Known as the largest indoor pavilion of the world, this monster can simultaneously stage events of 10 sports.
Bearing in mind to produce an ever the best Asian Games with a total of 29 up-to-standard venues and facilities, the Doha government has launched a series of construction projects to deliver 12 new venues, 10 reconstructed venues and 6 overlay facilities.
In fact, the springing-up hotels and commercial buildings have contributed to rank Doha among the fastest growing cities in the Middle East. As the head of Central and East Asia Zone of DAGOC Irina Matoian pointed out, while keeping business growing, it was also the government’s hope to develop Doha into an international center of sports and educations in the Middle East by hosting sport meets, while the construction of the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence has made the target a step closer.
Born last year with 9 standard sport courts and 1 mini-soccer pitch, the Academy is able to simultaneously stage events of football, athletics, swimming, diving, fencing, squash and others. During the coming Asian Games, this large venue will host the competitions of gymnastics, boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, badminton and Wushu. Auxiliary constructions in the surrounding area include student dormitory, restaurant, sport sciences and office building. The Aspire Academy will take over these facilities after the games as its base to cultivate potential young athletes. Such perfect accommodation facilities and well-developed intensive training program are expected to hatch super stars for the local sport circle. Further information about the facility is available at www.aspire.qa.
Manuel Silvério appreciates the Academy as a good model of design and quality equipment. He is pleased Macau athletes will join the games in Doha in the end of this year to learn from their counterparts around the world on one hand, and to widen their visions on the other. The Chairman is also grateful to see DAGOC organising the Asian Games in a creative way with high standards, which is believed to be a step closer towards the success of developing the city by sport meet.
After the Chef-de-Mission Meeting was concluded yesterday (March 2), the participants is attending today a test event for the World Cup Triathlon (Doha station) and for the coming Asian Games. In this regards, as early as their stay in Macau in the 4th East Asian Games, DAGOC representatives already found an opportunity to discuss with their counterparts of MEAGOC on organising test event and other preparatory works.
After the trip in Doha, Manuel Silvério and his delegation is heading to Kuwait, where he will, in the capacity of the OCA Vice-president for the first time, join the 45th OCA Executive Board Meeting on March 4. In the meeting, the new Vice-president will brief the participants with the progress report of the 2nd Asian Indoor Games in the title of the Chairman of Board of Directors of MAIGOC.
