20 Oct 2011

Sport: IOC President to visit Tonga

11:41 am on 20 October 2011

The President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, will visit Tonga later this month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tonga Amateur Sports Association.

Mr Rogge and his wife will be accompanied by Ms Yasmine Braeckevelt from the Office of the President in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the President of the Oceania National Olympic Committee, Dr Robin Mitchell.

The Secretary General of the TASA, Takitoa Taumoepeau, says the IOC President is one of the most powerful people in the world of sport.

The Tonga National Olympic Committee was created in 1961 under TASA.

It became the Tonga Sports Association & National Olympic Committee TASANOC and a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation in 1968.

In 1984 TASANOC became a member of the International Olympic Committee.