The OCA will convene its 44th General Assembly on Sunday, 8th September 2024, in New Delhi, India. During this General Assembly, elections for the OCA Executive Board for the term 2024-2028 will take place.
In accordance with Article 16 of the new OCA Constitution, the OCA Executive Board shall consist of the following elected positions:
1. One (1) President
2. Five (5) Vice Presidents, one (1) from each of the five (5) zones
3. Five (5) Members, one (1) from each of the five (5) zones and from the opposite gender than the Vice President of his/her zone
4. Two (2) representatives, one (1) and one (1) female of the OCA Athletes Committee, elected by and within the Athletes Committee.
5. Fifteen (15) Chairs of the statutory Standing Committees
The notice and agenda for the 44th OCA General Assembly, together with the nomination forms were circulated by Sunday, 30th June 2024. Each member NOCs of OCA was given the opportunity to nominate their respective candidate by 5.00 pm (Kuwait time) on Sunday, 21st July 2024.
On Friday, 12th July 2024, the NOC Malaysia nominated its President, Dr. Norza Zakaria, for the position of OCA Vice President for Southeast Asia Zone.
The nomination of Dr. Norza Zakaria was fully supported by 10 other member NOCs of the OCA in Southeast Asia Zone, namely NOC Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. As a result, he emerged as the sole candidate nominated for this prestigious position.
Being the sole candidate, Dr. Norza Zakaria will be elected unopposed for the position of OCA Vice President for the Southeast Asia Zone for the term 2024-2028 during the 44th OCA General Assembly in September 2024 in New Delhi, India.
For the record, Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah, the fourth President of NOC Malaysia, IOC Member in Malaysia (1978-2004) and IOC Honorary Member (2004-2012), was elected as the first Vice President of the OCA (formerly known as Asian Games Federation) in the 1980s.
“I am humbled and honored to be nominated as the sole candidate for the position of OCA Vice President for the Southeast Asia Zone” stated Dr. Norza Zakaria
“I am equally proud to be the second person from Malaysia, after Tan Sri Hamzah, to be elected OCA Vice President after nearly 4 decades”,
“I would also like to express my gratitude to fellow colleagues in the NOCs of Southeast Asia for their trust and confidence in me to lead the Olympic Movement in our zone. Let us continue to strive for excellence, enforce solidarity and uphold the spirit of the Olympic Movement in Southeast Asia” he added.
Dr. Norza Zakaria has been actively involved in the Olympic Movement within the OCA since 2019. He has served as a member of the OCA International Relations Committee (2019-2023), Chair of the OCA Sports for All Committee (2023) and a member of the OCA Coordination Committee for the 20th Asian Games (since 2023).
