Dayrit heads Asian Games body

Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit was recently appointed to chair the OCA Evaluation Committee, which is tasked to review the capability and readiness of prospective host cities bidding for future Asian Games.

Aside from the POC, Dayrit is currently the president of the Southeast Asian Games Federation and the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee. He is also the vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia, the first Filipino ever to be elected to this position in the continental governing body for sports.

He played a leading role in the successful hosting of the 1991 SEA Games in Manila, while conceptualizing and organizing the Philippine National Games. Being the only Filipino certified xourse director of the IOC Education Program for Sports Leaders, Dayrit has conducted sports management seminars in many Asian countries.

Dayrit’s experience in games and event management has been noted and recognized by the OCA. He was involved in the OCA working committee for finance and marketing for the Asian Games in Busan, Korea, and headed the OCA inspection team, which evaluated the plans and capabilities of Qatar for the 2006 Asian Games.

The next Asian Games will be held in Doha, Qatar in 2006, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Guandong, China, Deagu, Korea, and Aman, Jordan are bidding to host the 2010 Asian Games.