Jury panel meets to decide nominees and winners for inaugural ANOC Gala Awards

By Nick Butler at the Main Media Centre in Nanjing

A first meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committee's (ANOC) Awards Jury has taken place here to decide the winners and nominees of the inaugural ANOC Gala Awards Dinner, due to be held on November 7.

The ceremony is set to be held during the ANOC General Assembly, scheduled to take place from November 5 to 8 in Bangkok, with the event a key objective of ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah since he took charge of the organisation in 2012.

Sheikh Ahmad announced during last month's Executive Council Meeting in Lausanne that it will feature team and individual awards for men and women from both the London 2012 and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

A National Olympic Committee (NOC), athlete and coach of the year will be acknowledged, along with a "Breakthrough NOC of the Year".

The meeting began with a speech by Sweden's ANOC secretary general Gunilla Lindberg, who gave an update on the latest preparations for the ceremony, before the decision-making process got underway.

The jury panel consists of five continental representatives, including Oceania National Olympic Committees President Robin Mitchell of Fiji, as well as Uruguay's International Swimming Federation head and ANOC vice-president Julio César Maglione.

Also present was Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa 2nd vice-president Joao Manuel Da Costa Alegre of Sao Tome and Principe, Kuwait's Olympic Council of Asia representative Haidar Farman and French Olympic Committee President Denis Masseglia.

Among other participants was Italy's International Tennis Federation President Francesco Ricci Bitti and Switzerland's International Skiing Federation boss Gian Franco Kasper, representing Summer and Winter Federations respectively, and ANOC Athletes' Commission chair Barbara Kendall of New Zealand.

"The ANOC Gala Awards Dinner will present a unique opportunity to celebrate and honour the outstanding achievements of NOC's and their athletes and promote best practices," said a statement afterwards.