His Excellency Dr. Thon Khon, the Minister of Tourism and the President of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), Excellency Vath Chamroeun, Secretaty General of NOCC and Dr. Ken Gadaffi, Adviser to NOCC participated in the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) which will be held on 8th November 2012 in Macau, China. The General Assembly of OCA focuses on reviewing the activities of the continent in 2012 and new plans for 2013. Also on the agenda is Election of the Host city for the 2019 Asian games and 2021 Asian Youth Games. The General Assembly will also examine preparations for the 2013 Asian Youth games in Nanjing and 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Korea. There are 45 countries which are the members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

The race for the 2019 Asian Games will be a close one, insiders predict according to Around the Rings in Macau.

Speaking to Around the Rings, NOC and OCA leaders all declined to predict a winner, saying the race remains extremely close between Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Hanoi, Vietnam and Surabaya, Indonesia.

“I think it’s going to be a tough competition,” says Syed Arif Hasan, president of the Pakistan Olympic Association.

“I wish all of them the best of luck.”

Rumors indicate the Hanoi bid was found to be technically superior by the evaluation commission – and is believed to count enough votes from east Asia and southeast Asia to win Thursday’s big prize, ATR is told – but Hasan refused to comment.

Even Rita Subowu, president of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, would not say if her bid would win.

“We are optimistic,” she says.

Ser Miang Ng and Rita Subowu. (ATR/Panasonic Lumix)

Subowu touts the city’s credentials, noting that in 2008, Indonesia was called “on short notice” to stage the Asian Beach Games and “did it the right way”.

Surabaya, she says, is home to numerous Olympic champions, including Indonesia’s first medalist.

“Sport is their way of life,” she tells ATR.

None of the three bid cities has an organized presence in Macau nor any promotional materials, a testament to the low-key nature of the race.

Additional report by Ken Gabriel in Macau