Randhir Singh, acting president OCA met Chinese President Xi Jinping
Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ September 22,2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Raja Randhir Singh, acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), in Hangzhou, capital city of east China’s Zhejiang Province.
Jinping said the Chinese government and people are confident and capable of delivering a spectacular sports event that showcases Chinese features and celebrates the charm of Asia.
Xi thanked Singh and the OCA for promoting China’s sports development over a long time, particularly for their contributions to the preparation of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
As per reports, Xi had disclosed that the upcoming Asian Games, the third hosted by China, breaks records in athlete participation, the number of events, and overall scale in the history of the Asian Games.
The Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Singh highlighted the capabilities of Asia as a prime partner in the global Olympic movement.
Raja Randhir said the message from Asia was one of strength and unity, and he congratulated the Chinese Olympic Committee for the strong hosting concept instilled in the sports authorities.
Looking ahead to the 19th Asian Games, which open on Saturday, September 23 after eight years of preparations and a one-year postponement, Raja Randhir said: “The whole opening ceremony is, for us, going to be exciting.
“My daughter is competing so, for me, it will be very interesting to see her in the march past and competing.”
The Acting OCA President said history was repeating itself, as his father, Bhalindra Singh, headed the Asian Olympic movement in 1982 when Randhir competed in shooting at New Delhi.
His daughter, Rajeshwari Ria Kumari, will represent India in the trap shooting event at the 19th Asian Games.
“History has repeated itself to see your own child compete in the Games – but all athletes are family to us,” he said.
