The President of the International Olympic Academy (IOA), Dr Charilaos Tsolakis, and the President of the Beijing Association for the Promotion of Olympic Culture (APOC), Mr Sijun Xia, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation at the IOA headquarters in Athens, Greece.

This signing follows the recent visit of an IOA delegation to the APOC headquarters in Beijing, where the two parties agreed to collaborate in several strategic areas, including youth leadership programmes, sport and art competitions for young people, educational forums, the Guanpai (an intellectual game) World Cup and other special events designed to promote Olympic culture and the Values of Olympism.

On behalf of the International Olympic Academy, President Dr. Charilaos Tsolakis stated: “We are particularly happy to welcome you to the premises of the International Olympic Academy. I am aware of the excellent cooperation you had in the past with Mr Kouvelos, and I am grateful for that. I assure you that I wholeheartedly wish to see this cooperation between our two organizations continue. Greece and China have a centuries-old tradition of collaboration, and we will proudly continue this course.”

The President of APOC, Mr Sijun Xia, remarked: “The Olympic Games were born in Greece, and we are pleased that this cooperation with the International Olympic Academy begins here, in your country. We have ambitious plans for collaboration between our two organizations, a cooperation that began with the visit to Beijing of IOA Director Dr Makis Asimakopoulos and the IOA Manager for Relations with National Olympic Committees and National Olympic Academies worldwide, Ms. Alexandra Karaiskou. We are particularly optimistic about our future with the IOA.”

Prior to the signing of the Memorandum, the APOC delegation — which included, alongside Mr Sijun Xia, Chairman, Mr Hou Kun, Consultant, Mr Wenhui Xia, Secretary General and Ms Zhang Miaomiao — met with the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr Isidoros Kouvelos, in the presence of the IOA President and other executives. Welcoming the Chinese guests, Mr Kouvelos highlighted the enduring relations between Greece and China:

“China and Greece are the most ancient civilizations in the history of humanity, and the relations between our two countries have always been excellent. It is extremely wise that the cooperation of the IOA with APOC begins here, and the International Olympic Academy is the right vehicle for you to use to promote initiatives related to Olympic culture in China and worldwide. We are especially pleased with this cooperation and optimistic that it will grow further every year. After all, Chinese students form a large part of our Academy’s community annually, and the people of China consistently demonstrate a deep appreciation for history and Olympic education.”

Following this exchange, the Director of the International Olympic Academy, Dr Makis Asimakopoulos, introduced all IOA staff members to APOC President Mr Sijun Xia.

The APOC delegation has since travelled to Ancient Olympia, where they are visiting the archaeological site and museum, as well as the premises of the International Olympic Academy.