Bulgarian Olympic Committee President expands sports contacts in Japan

Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) President Vesela Lecheva met Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, BOC said on Wednesday. They watched the trap and skeet events together.

Al Thani also serves as President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Senior Vice-President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). He is the younger brother of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, CE Report quotes BTA.

This year's World Shooting Championships in Qatar will also serve as the sport's first qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Lecheva and Al Thani agreed to meet again in Doha. Lecheva said many Bulgarian specialists, including her father Nikolay Lechev, had trained Qatari athletes. A Bulgarian physiotherapist is currently part of the Qatari delegation.

Lecheva also spoke with International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Nita Ambani, the only Indian woman on the committee. Ambani founded and chairs Reliance Foundation and owns the Mumbai Indians cricket team.

In Nagoya, Lecheva also met the presidents of the shooting federations of Japan, Korea, China and Kazakhstan. She will continue her programme by attending other events at the Games.

Photo: BOC