The four-day IOC/NOCC seminar-cum-leadership training for Women in Sports for Asia concluded at the Sokhalay Hotel in Siem Reap yesterday with an appeal to the participants from 26 countries to turn the knowledge acquired into cohesive action in their own spheres of influence and diversity.

“During these highly educative, entertaining and thought provoking sessions we have shared a common goal. We have emerged all the wiser and stronger from the wealth of information and knowledge that flowed from the field experts. It is now time to to put those best practices we have learnt about to practical use,” Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the NOCC, told the delegates in his closing remarks.

“As representatives from various NOCs we came together in Siem Reap for a specific purpose. I am confident, the knowledge you have gained and the contacts you have made will make a huge impact in your own sphere of expertise and work,’’ Vath Chamroeun said.

The chairperson of OCA’s Women and Sports Commission, Natalya Sipovich, IOC project manager dominique and member of the IOC Women and Sports Commission Beng Choo Low jointly called upon the delegates to follow through on this crucial training to empower themselves and draw up their own action plans.

“We are there every step of the way to support, but it is up to the individuals to to take up the lead roles and brighten up their futures,” Dominique said.

The Siem Reap initiative follows a similar training program launched by the IOC in association with the Malaysian Olympic Committee in Kuala Lumpur nearly seven years ago.

“I see a tremondous change in perceptions and attitude among the participants from that Kuala Lumpur event to now. The social media is playing a huge part in this and the participants have already opened a Facebook page which shows their level of enthusiasm and enterprise” said Beng Choo Low.

On the sidelines of the Closing Ceremony where Certificates were awarded to each and every participant, South Korea’s Mijung Kim, who won a Judo gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, said she was delighted to be part of this seminar.

“The interactive sessions were very interesting and educative and My own perception of leadership has positively changed. I am keen like never before to pursue my Career in sports administration” Mijung Kim told the Post.