Oceania delegates to the 34 Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan have whole hartedly welcomed the invitation to participate in the 2017 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (5th AIMAG).
Meeting following the conclusion of the OCA General Assembly the delegates of 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and Associate Members of Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) unanimously agreed that competiting at the 5th AIMAG is a step in the right direction for the region.
French Polynesia (Tahiti) representative Tauhiti Danilo Nena says this is the best thing to happen for his country since they are only associate members of ONOC and unable to participate in the Olympic Games.
Their only major regional Games is the Pacific Games.
Niue delegate Maru Talagi says coming to Turkmenistan is an eye-opener and definitely they would want to be here in two years time.
The delegates from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Marshalls, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Northern Marianas, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu praised ONOC President Dr Robin Mitchell and Secretary General Ricardo Blas for making the connections with OCA and the Turkmenistan NOC.
The Oceania delegates return home on Friday.