NOC Cultural Commission Holds 53rd Meeting

Iran NOC; Tehran: The meeting opened with remarks by the NOC President, who outlined the key cultural dimensions of Soraya Aghaei’s membership in the IOC Athletes’ Commission and her candidacy for membership among the 115 members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Referring to this development as the third instance in the history of the Olympic Movement in which an Iranian becomes an IOC member, Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa described it as particularly significant efforts. He stressed the importance of addressing the cultural aspects of this achievement and appropriately narrating it within the country’s cultural and media spheres. The President also referred to upcoming major multi-sport events, including the Asian Games in Nagoya, the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, the Sanya Asian Beach Games, and the Riyadh Asian Indoor Games, highlighting specific operational characteristics of the Nagoya Asian Games that should be taken into account in cultural planning.

Subsequently, the NOC Secretary-General reviewed the cultural and media achievements of the Bahrain and Riyadh Games. He cited the organization of cultural and media workshops prior to the delegation departures—particularly for athletes, coaches, and accredited journalists traveling to Bahrain—as one of the effective measures undertaken by the NOC in the cultural and media domain.

Finally, the Chair of the Cultural Commission recalled several key outstanding cultural issues of the Commission and emphasized the need to determine their status. These included the implementation of proposals and initiatives raised in previous sessions concerning the narration of progress and major sporting achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the National Olympic Committee, on which other members also shared their views.