Athletes from every continent and thirteen hundred guests are coming for the XXII ANOC General Assembly

Thirteen hundred guests from around the world including sports stars from every continent will gather this week in Prague for the XXII General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees, the accompanying meetings and the 2017 ANOC Awards Ceremony. The largest gathering of representatives of the Olympic Movement ever in the Czech Republic will take place over the next five days at the Hilton Prague Hotel.

“Everything necessary has been prepared, we are now just settling the final details and there will be things that change last minute – as is common with such large events. This year’s assembly will be a record in terms of number of guests,“ said Jiří Kejval, President of the Czech Olympic Committee. “We are working closely with the Association of National Olympic Committee on the organisation and are striving to ensure that the Olympic Movement representatives leave Prague with the best possible impression. During their stay here we also want to present the Czech Republic, Czech sport, culture and organisational capabilities.“

The event starts on Tuesday 31^st October with commission meetings, the ANOC Executive Counsil Meeting and the meetings of several continental associations. Fresh from winning the doubles at the WTA Finals, Andrea Hlaváčková will, together with figure skater Tomáš Verner, welcome delegates and guests to the Welcome reception, and these will include ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.

“We expect representatives from 205 National Olympic Committees, from international sports federations, and the organisers of future Olympic events to attend. The ANOC Awards Ceremony will be attended by internationally renowned athletes. However, we cannot mention their names now
– they will be revealed during the ceremony,” said Petr Graclík, Secretary General of the Czech Olympic Committee.

Over 140 volunteers are assisting with the organisation. The preparations would not be possible without contributions from partners and state institutions. Hosting of the General Assembly is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Regional Development with the agency CzechTourism.

“We are working closely with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure security, visa obligations and correct protocol corresponding to such a significant international event as the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees. This sporting conference attended by people from all over the world is also an excellent diplomatic opportunity for Czech sport,”says Roman Kumpošt, Czech Olympic Committee Vice-President for Foreign Affairs.

The XXII ANOC General Assembly will take place on 2–3 November. “It is a great honour to be in the historic city of Prague. ANOC has an excellent partnership with the Czech Olympic Committee and I would like to thank them for their warm welcome. The ANOC General Assembly gives NOCs an opportunity to raise any issues they may be facing,” ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said.

In a ceremony directed by Michal Caban, the ANOC Awards will celebrate the best male and female athletes from the individual continents this year, and also several other sports personalities. The ceremony, hosted by Czech Television presenters Daniela Písařovicová and Daniel Stach, will take place on 2^nd November at Forum Karlín.